CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Ministers of Religion

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time non-stipendiary Ministers are currently registered by the Church of England.

Stuart Bell: At the end of 2007-the last year for which figures are available-there were 3,198 licensed non-stipendiary ministers but it is not possible to say how many were full- and part-time as requested. Non-stipendiary ministers are usually employed outside the Church and some minister regularly while others minister only occasionally.
	In addition, there were 1,568 clergy in chaplaincy and other ministries (e.g. forces chaplains, hospital chaplains, school chaplains and clergy on the staff of theological colleges). Information on whether they are full-time or part-time is not held centrally.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: My Department's spend on first class rail travel is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2006-07 14,523.24 
			 2007-08 7,431.06 
			 2008-09 10,710.80 
		
	
	The majority of this expenditure is for travel between Belfast and Dublin. These figures include all first class rail travel booked through my Department's central travel booking service. It does not include the cost of travel paid for by individual members of staff and then reclaimed from the Department. This additional information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prison Accommodation

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what dormitory accommodation  (a) is available in Northern Ireland's prisons and  (b) has been used between 1 September 2006 and 1 September 2009;
	(2)  what types of accommodation sex offenders occupy in prisons in Northern Ireland;
	(3)  what categories of prisoner are housed in dormitory accommodation in prisons in Northern Ireland;
	(4)  whether sex offenders are planned to be housed in the Foyleview Resettlement Unit of HMP Magilligan.

Paul Goggins: There is a 64-bed dormitory accommodation unit (Sperrin) at Magilligan Prison and an eight-bed dormitory accommodation unit at Hydebank Wood. Both have been used between 1 September 2006 and 1 September 2009.
	Sex offenders may occupy cellular accommodation, single rooms or dormitories.
	At 19 October the Sperrin unit held 37 Category B/C prisoners in custody for sexual offences and one other Category B prisoner, all of whom were sentenced. At Hydebank Wood there were three inmates housed in dormitory accommodation with non-sexual offences-two of these were sentenced and one was on remand.
	Since 24 September a total of five sex offenders, who have met the strict criteria necessary for their placement, have been housed in Foyleview Resettlement Unit at Magilligan.

Prisons

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are taken by the Northern Ireland Prison Service to establish the truth of claims made by inmates that they are related to children.

Paul Goggins: Where a prisoner comes under the Public Protection Arrangements and sexual offence prevention orders, non-molestation orders or any other order of the court or notification in accordance with HSS Circular 3/96 "Sharing to Safeguard" is in place, the Prison Service ensures that any requirements with regards to contact with children are fully enforced. In relation to other inmates who claim a relationship to children and where there is no basis for the service to doubt such a relationship, additional checks are not usually undertaken.

Prisons: Correspondence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many illicit items were discovered in prison mail in each prison establishment in Northern Ireland in each month between April and September 2009;
	(2)  what procedures there are for the  (a) examination and  (b) censorship of mail addressed to inmates in (i) HMP Maghaberry, (ii) HMP Magilligan, (iii) HMP Hydebank Wood and (iv) Young Offenders Centre at Hydebank Wood.

Paul Goggins: I am advised that there were no prohibited items in list A or list B as set out in Article 77 of the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008 discovered between April and September 2009. Central records are not held of all items which may be considered inappropriate by each establishment.
	In all establishments all mail addressed to inmates is opened by prison staff and checked for illicit enclosures. Routinely up to 10 per cent. of mail is censored. Special arrangements, where stipulated, apply to inmates who come under the public protection arrangements and are the subject of sexual offence prevention orders, non-molestation orders, or any other directions of the court; in such cases all in-coming and out-going mail will be subject to offence-related monitoring.

Prisons: Photographs

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether photographs sent to inmates in prisons in Northern Ireland prisons are examined by prison staff before delivery;
	(2)  what steps are taken when inappropriate photographs of children are discovered on the premises of prisons in Northern Ireland;
	(3)  whether the photographs kept on walls by prisoners in prisons in Northern Ireland are regularly inspected;
	(4)  what steps are being taken to prevent inappropriate photographs of children from  (a) entering and  (b) being circulated within prisons in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: All incoming mail to inmates in Northern Ireland prisons is opened by prison staff and examined for any enclosures. All photographs will be examined by prison staff before delivery. If a photograph is deemed inappropriate it will not be forwarded to the prisoner until the relevant investigations are made.
	Each establishment has a designated child protection co-ordinator who will be informed if an inappropriate photograph of a child is discovered. The co-ordinator will advise staff and, on the basis of the initial material, will make a decision as to whether or not to refer the matter to social services in the trust area where the child has a home address. Social services may, in turn, arrange for notification of the police. The co-ordinator will also, as appropriate, inform the parents of the actions being taken.
	All prisoners' cells are regularly inspected and searched by prison staff. Photographs on walls will be inspected as part of that process and may be removed as part of that inspection procedure. If an inappropriate photograph is found it would be confiscated and investigations undertaken.

Road Traffic Offences: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to enable motoring offences committed in Northern Ireland by drivers of vehicles originating from the Republic of Ireland to be prosecuted; whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland has access to registered keeper details for vehicles registered in the Republic of Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Roads policing policy in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Department of Environment. Access to vehicle registers is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked the Chief Constable to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Sexual Offences

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners in Northern Ireland who (i) have been convicted of and (ii) are awaiting trial on charges of sexual offences are housed in each location in each prison in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how many sex offenders were in prison in Northern Ireland on 1 September 2009.

Paul Goggins: As of 19 October 2009 there were  (a) 194 males and  (b) one female totalling 195 sex offenders in Northern Ireland prisons. The following table shows the breakdown of the prisoner custodial category and their location within each prison.
	
		
			  Establishment  House  Sentenced (i)  Remand (ii)  Total 
			 Maghaberry Bann 1 - 1 
			  Braid 1 - 1 
			  Bush 17 20 37 
			  Erne 3 - 3 
			  Glen 2 - 2 
			  Lagan 3 13 16 
			  Pre-release scheme 1 - 1 
			  Roe 6 5 11 
			  Special Supervision Unit 2 - 2 
			  Wilson 4 - 4 
			  
			 Magilligan Alpha 23 - 23 
			  Foyleview 5 - 5 
			  Halward 1 - 1 
			  H Block 1 1 - 1 
			  H Block 2 39 - 39 
			  Sperrin 38 - 38 
			  
			 Hydebank Wood male Beech - 2 2 
			  Cedar 3 1 4 
			  Elm 1 - 1 
			  Willow 1 1 2 
			  
			 Hydebank Wood female Ash - 1 1 
			 Total  152 43 195 
		
	
	On 1 September there were 191 sex offenders in Northern Ireland prisons.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliament: ICT

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps the House of Commons Commission  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to make the Parliamentary House of Commons intranet compatible with computers running Windows Vista 64-bit edition; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: No alterations need to be made to the Parliament intranet specifically for Windows desktop Vista 64 bit edition. The intranet is delivered through internet browsing technology which is independent of the system on which the browser runs.

Speaker: Pay

Kate Hoey: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1039-40W, on the Speaker, for what reason the remuneration to be paid to the special adviser to Mr. Speaker is commercial in confidence.

Nick Harvey: The House does not disclose financial arrangements under commercial contracts in order to preserve its competitive negotiating position with other similar potential contractors.

Speaker: Recruitment

Kate Hoey: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what interviews were conducted with the person contracted to provide services as Mr. Speaker's special adviser in the course of the House's procurement process.

Nick Harvey: Separate interviews were conducted by the Speaker and Professor Michael Horsman, an independent member of the House's Senior Pay Panel.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Political Parties: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent progress the Electoral Commission has made in its investigation into the permissibility of donations by Fifth Avenue Partners Ltd; and what recent discussions the Electoral Commission has had with the City of London Police on that matter.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it aims to conclude the investigation as quickly as possible but that its priority must be to ensure that the process is fair and thorough. The Commission further informs me that it continues to liaise with the City of London Police. It would not be appropriate to provide further details of a continuing investigation.

Political Parties: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many full-time equivalent staff are working on the Electoral Commission's investigation into the permissibility of donations by Fifth Avenue Partners and Mr. Michael Brown; what the cost of that investigation has been; when that investigation began; and when that investigation was  (a) suspended and  (b) resumed.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it began inquiries in May 2005 into the donations from 5th Avenue Partners Ltd. to the Liberal Democrats and that those inquiries were suspended in March 2007 pending the outcome of criminal proceedings. Upon conclusion of the proceedings in November 2008, the Commission resumed its investigation. The Commission informs me that it sought access from the City of London Police to relevant documents from the proceedings, obtaining these on 14 May 2009.
	The Commission further informs me that it currently has five full-time staff in its party and election finance enforcement team which is responsible for investigations and case reviews. The number of staff working on a particular case at any one time varies and members of the team may work on a number of cases concurrently. There are currently two full-time equivalent members of staff working on the case with input also being provided by senior managers and the Commission's in-house legal team.
	The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not record the precise direct and indirect costs associated with any particular case.

TRANSPORT

Accidents: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) fatal and  (b) serious travel related accidents there have been in (i) the City of York and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1996-97.

Paul Clark: I understand after clarification from the Member's office, information requested is for road accidents only.
	The number of reported fatal and serious personal injury road accidents in the City of York local authority and the Government Office Region of Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1996 are given in the table:
	
		
			  Number of reported personal injury road accidents 
			   (i) York unitary authority  (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber 
			   (a) Fatal  (b) Serious  (a) Fatal  (b) Serious 
			 1996(1) 3 59 292 3,220 
			 1997 7 111 295 3,175 
			 1998 4 70 286 3,001 
			 1999 8 106 285 2,922 
			 2000 12 73 288 2,800 
			 2001 6 108 299 2,858 
			 2002 8 103 294 2,893 
			 2003 8 70 296 2,808 
			 2004 7 94 288 2,709 
			 2005 9 71 276 2,507 
			 2006 6 114 278 2,538 
			 2007 4 77 254 2,579 
			 2008 9 71 203 2,362 
			 (1) In April 1996 the City of York local authority became a unitary authority and increased in size.

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport's General Ledger has not been configured to identify the business sector in which a grant recipient operates. The Department is therefore unable to identify what grants have been made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Cycling: Helmets

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date he expects to publish his Department's interim research paper on cycle helmets.

Paul Clark: I refer to the answer given on 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1904W.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Excise Duties

Richard Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency spent on the  (a) collection and  (b) enforcement of vehicle excise duty in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, on behalf of Her Majesty's Treasury, collected £5.5 billion of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in the last financial year. The following table shows the cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to  (a) collection and  (b) enforcement of vehicle excise duty in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Collection of VED  Enforcement of VED 
			 2008-09 132,937 83,928 
			 2007-08 133,980 81,290 
			 2006-07 131,255 85,369 
			 2005-06 123,889 80,967 
			 2004-05 119,518 79,194

First Great Western

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps in collaboration with First Great Western to relieve congestion through  (a) bringing into service as soon as possible new trains ordered for 2011 and  (b) other measures.

Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced a major £1 billion programme of rail electrification on the Great Western Main Line. This radically affects the requirements for rolling stock over the next decade.
	Long-distance services will now be operated by a new fleet of predominantly electric-powered Super Express Trains, offering faster journeys as well as improved capacity and passenger comfort. Electric trains will also be provided for commuter services. Following the procurement of new Thameslink rolling stock, Great Western electrification will allow four-carriage electric trains currently operating Thameslink services to replace three-carriage diesel trains currently operating on the Great Western Main Line. In addition, once completed, Crossrail will provide significantly increased capacity on Great Western services into London.
	In view of Great Western electrification, the procurement by the Government of new diesel trains, some of which would have entered service on the Great Western Main Line, has been superseded. The Government will publish a new Rolling Stock Plan in the autumn, taking account of the changed circumstances.

Lorries: Accidents

Brian Iddon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many fatalities occurred as a result of collisions with the side or rear of a heavy goods vehicle in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Fatal casualties resulting from reported accidents involving side or rear collisions with heavy goods vehicles( 1) , Great Britain: 2004-08 
			   Number 
			 2004 153 
			 2005 189 
			 2006 183 
			 2007 176 
			 2008 148 
			 (1) All heavy goods vehicles over 3.5t

Lorries: Safety

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether heavy goods vehicles are required to be fitted with class V mirrors.

Paul Clark: All large goods vehicles, above 3.5 tonnes gross mass, first used after 1 January 2000, are required to be fitted with a class V (close proximity) mirror on the passenger side. There are some exemptions but only for those vehicles where the class V mirror cannot be fitted at least 2 metres from the ground.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to publish the Government's response to the consultation on amending the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations, which closed on 9 October 2008.

Paul Clark: The response to the consultation will be published at the same time as the statutory instrument amending the regulations is laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the end of the year.

Motor Vehicles: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many domestic vehicles in each vehicle excise duty band were registered to addresses in York in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The following table provides the total number of privately owned cars and light vans that were licensed on the 30 June, 2009 in the City of York council.
	Cars that were first registered before 1 March 2001 have their vehicle excise duty band based on engine size. Cars that have been first registered since this date have their vehicle excise duty band based on CO2 emissions.
	As some vans (light goods vehicles weighing no more than 3,500 kilograms) may be used for domestic purposes, all privately owned vans registered in the City of York council have been included in the table.
	Details on the vehicle excise duty rates application to each band are available at:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10012524
	
		
			Percentage of total private cars 
			  Tax band (CO 2  emission g/km( 2) )  Number in City of York  City of York  Great Britain 
			  Vehicles registered on or after 1March 2001
			 Band A: Up to 100 23 0.0 0.0 
			 Band B: 101-110 620 0.8 0.8 
			 Band C: 111-120 1,486 2.0 1.9 
			 Band D: 121-130 1,716 2.3 1.9 
			 Band E: 131-140 6,274 8.3 7.2 
			 Band F: 141-150 7,948 10.6 9.4 
			 Band G: 151-165 12,003 15.9 13.7 
			 Band H: 166-175 5,468 7.3 5.9 
			 Band I: 176-185 4,293 5.7 4.7 
			 Band J: 186-200 4,210 5.6 5.3 
			 Post-2006 Band K: 201-225(1) 3,442 4.6 4.5 
			 Post-2006 Band L: 226-255(1) 369 0.5 0.5 
			 Post-2006 Band M: Over 255(1) 384 0.5 0.6 
			 Pre-2006 Band K: Over 201(2) 2,424 3.2 4.0 
			 Unknown tax band 592 0.8 3.2 
			 
			  Vehicles registered before 1 March 2001
			 Engine size under 1,549 cc 9,183 12.2 12.6 
			 Engine size 1,549 cc or over 13,462 17.9 20.8 
			 
			 Private cars that are exempt from vehicle excise duty 1,416 1.9 3.2 
			 Total private cars 75,313 100 100 
			 Private motorcycles, mopeds and scooters 5,157 n/a n/a 
			 Private light goods vehicles(3) 3,967 n/a n/a 
			 (1) Applies to cars first registered on or after 23 March 2006 (2) Applies to cars first registered before 23 March 2006 (3) Goods vehicles weighing no more than 3,500 kg

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that adequate numbers of motorcycle practical test centres are available to those living in rural areas in the South West.

Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) plans to offer the off-road practical motorcycling test from five Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTCs) in the south west: in Redruth, Taunton, Plymouth, Exeter, and Bristol. MPTCs are already fully operational in three of these areas, at Plymouth, Exeter and Bristol and DSA is in negotiation with private developers and local planning authorities regarding the provision at Taunton and Redruth.
	In the meantime temporary Module 1 facilities have been provided at existing Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) test stations in Camborne and Taunton. The operational requirements of VOSA and the need to avoid any conflict between motorcycle candidates and lorries mean that these two facilities are open for Module 1 testing only at weekends.
	Damage to the tarmac at the VOSA site in Taunton has resulted in the temporary suspension of Module 1 testing there but we expect that testing will resume in mid-November 2009.
	DSA offers the practical on-road part of the motorcycling test from eight driving test centres in addition to the three operational MPTCs. These are at Barnstaple, Bodmin, Camborne, Launceston, Penzance, Taunton, Yeovil and Weston-Super-Mare.

Official Cars: Working Hours

Chris Mullin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the operation of the European Working Time Directive on the Government Car Service; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Changes to the Government Car Service which came into effect on 12 October 2009, will reduce the cost to the taxpayer. Under the new system, drivers work a single daily shift of 10 hours. Ministers continue to have one dedicated driver (apart from those in the high security category), but any out-of-hours ministerial driving is met, on demand, by the Government Car and Despatch Agency's low carbon taxi service. This is a better deal for taxpayers than the previous arrangements.

Railways: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what funding is available for Bournemouth borough council to apply for in order to develop a light railway system.

Sadiq Khan: If Bournemouth borough council decided to promote a light rail scheme, it would need to obtain the South West region's agreement to prioritise the scheme for funding within its Regional Funding Allocation.
	If the Region decided to prioritise the proposed scheme for funding then the council would then need to submit, at the appropriate time, a detailed Major Scheme Business Case for the proposed scheme, in line with current guidance, for consideration and assessment by the Department for Transport.
	Alternatively, the council could seek funding from its own or through third party sources.

Roads: Accidents

Brian Iddon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to the economy of  (a) road traffic accidents,  (b) road traffic accidents resulting in a casualty and  (c) road traffic accidents resulting in a fatality in the last five years.

Paul Clark: The latest figures on the annual value of prevention of  (a) road traffic accidents,  (b) road traffic accidents resulting in a casualty and  (c) road traffic accidents resulting in a fatality are published in Reported Road Casualties Great Britain (RRCGB): 2008 Annual Report on page 28, Table 2c. Copies of the Report have been deposited in the House Library and are also available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/casualtiesgbar/
	Annual cost figures for previous years are available in Road Casualties Great Britain (RCGB) annual reports for the corresponding years, available from the same sources.

Roads: Accidents

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic collisions involved vehicles diverted on rural A-roads as a result of motorway closures in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Mole: The information requested is not held by the Department for Transport. The responsibility for rural A roads lies with the relevant local authorities.

Roads: Freight

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what his policy is on the use of road haulage in place of rail haulage for movement of bulk materials for rail infrastructure works;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the environmental impact of  (a) road and  (b) rail haulage for movement of bulk materials for rail infrastructure works;
	(3)  what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on the merits of  (a) road and  (b) rail haulage for movement of bulk materials for rail infrastructure works.

Chris Mole: The movement of bulk materials for rail infrastructure works is an operational matter for Network Rail.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many new diesel trains the Secretary of State intends to procure; and when the  (a) first and  (b) last of these orders are likely to be (i) placed and (ii) delivered.

Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced the electrification of the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea, and the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows.
	This electrification programme radically affects the requirements for rolling stock over the next decade. As a result, the previously planned procurement by the Department for Transport of new diesel multiple units has been superseded. We will publish an updated rolling stock plan, taking account of these changes, in the autumn.
	As part of the Intercity Express Programme, the Department is procuring new electric and bi-mode (electric and diesel) Super Express Trains to operate services on the East Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line. Bi-mode trains utilise the electric wires where available and continue beyond the wires using the diesel engine. An announcement on the placing of orders for Super Express Trains will be made in due course.

Transport: Horses

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will seek to exempt recreational drivers of horse transporters of greater than 7.5 tonnes gross weight from the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Exemptions beyond those already set out in Regulation (EC) 561/2006 may only be granted in "exceptional circumstances". We therefore see little prospect of the European Commission agreeing to a UK request to exempt recreational drivers of horseboxes over 7.5 tonnes.
	It should still be possible for those in full-time employment who drive large horseboxes recreationally to schedule a reduced weekly rest period of 24 hours immediately before the equestrian event in question, or in between driving to and from the event (i.e. at the event itself) without the need for a derogation.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment the Attorney-General's Office has made of the effectiveness of the merger of the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Vera Baird: As part of creating a new public prosecution service, the merger is progressing to schedule and by the summer of 2010 the two organisations will be fully integrated. The Attorney-General's Office is very closely involved in the governance arrangements for the merger. A recent Office of Government Commerce Gateway Review found that the merger is:
	"being conducted to a very high standard, that delivery to date has been strong and the likelihood of the merger programme delivering successfully is very high."

Crown Prosecution Service: Temporary Employment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Solicitor-General how many agency staff were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years; and in what capacity they were employed.

Vera Baird: The information requested is not recorded centrally by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). It could be obtained only by the extraction of every contract for each temporary member of staff employed over the last five years, and would incur disproportionate cost (Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9). Agency staff are employed in a variety of roles including administration, casework and other support roles to cover for staff absences and peaks in workload.

Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans the Government have for developing the role of the community prosecutor referred to in Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is testing the Community Prosecutor approach over a 12-month period from June 2009 in 49 pathfinder locations. The approach will be evaluated during the testing period, with plans for national roll-out to be developed thereafter.
	The development of a Community Prosecutor approach is a major new initiative for the CPS, one which brings together work which is already happening in many CPS areas, together with new ideas about how modern prosecutors should engage with communities. The initiative will allow the CPS to work together with the police and our other partners to make communities safer and raise public confidence in the services we provide.
	The pathfinder locations are testing three strands to the Community Prosecutor approach, which are:
	enabling prosecutors to make more 'community-aware casework decisions;
	greater CPS involvement in 'problem-solving' of local crime and disorder priorities; and
	increased CPS visibility to communities and other agencies responding to local crime and disorder concerns.
	The Community Prosecutor approach is one of the proposals contained in the 'Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice' Green Paper launched on 29 April 2009.

Equality

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will consider the recommendations of the report by the Fawcett Society, Corporate Sexism-the sex industry's infiltration of the modern workplace.

Vera Baird: The Government are committed to ensuring that all workplaces are free from discrimination. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 provides protection from sex discrimination and harassment across a range of areas, including in employment. The Equality Bill currently going through Parliament will strengthen and simplify existing equality law.
	I was very interested to learn about the findings in the Fawcett Society's recent report, "Corporate Sexism-the Sex Industry's Infiltration of the Modern Workplace." Research like the Fawcett report illustrate that although we have made significant progress in tackling inequality in the workplace, there is still more work to be done.
	Following the report's launch, the Minister for Women and Equality wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer raising the issue of tax relief on discrete receipts from lap-dancing establishments.
	Through the Policing and Crime Bill, currently before Parliament, we will give greater powers to local authorities and local communities to control the opening and regulation of lap-dancing clubs. This means lap-dancing clubs will no longer be licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 but will be licensed as 'sex establishments'.
	The Government will continue to work with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as well as with employers, to ensure enforcement of the Sex Discrimination Act and to promote equality in the workplace.

Euthanasia

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Solicitor-General what the process will be for implementation of the Director of Public Prosecutions' policy on assisted suicide after the conclusion and the public consultation on the interim policy.

Vera Baird: The public consultation on the CPS interim policy on cases of assisted suicide will close on 16 December 2009. Thereafter the Director and his team will carefully consider all of the responses received to assess whether the policy should be amended, and if so how. The Director then intends to publish a summary of the responses received and issue the finalized policy by 10 March 2010.

Homophobia: Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions have been brought for the offence of hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation under Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986 as amended by Schedule 16 to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008; and how many convictions have resulted.

Vera Baird: No prosecutions for this offence have yet been brought as the offence is not yet in force. The Government intend to bring it into force as soon as possible.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Government is taking to  (a) increase rates of the prosecution of rape and  (b) support victims of rape.

Vera Baird: There has been significant progress in tackling rape, for example, reports of rape have more than doubled between 1997 and 2007. However, conviction rates remain low.
	To address this, the Government have announced the immediate setting up of a review, led by Baroness Stern, to identify how the handling of rape complaints and conviction rates can be improved. As well as examining the response of the public authorities to reports of rape and exploring ways in which the attrition rate can be reduced, the review will also consider how to improve victim satisfaction. It will be assisted by the valuable work on victims' experience being led by Sara Payne, the Victims' Champion.
	A separate Government initiative to improve support for victims will increase the number of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) to ensure that there is at least one in every police force area.
	To drive up the quality of police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) performance in handling reports of rape, a team with members drawn from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the CPS is visiting police forces and CPS areas, sharing good practice and promoting increased effectiveness and a consistent approach.

Religious Hatred: Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions have been brought for the offence of incitement to religious hatred under Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986 as amended by the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006; and how many convictions have resulted.

Vera Baird: To date one prosecution has been brought but has not concluded: a person has been charged and a trial date has yet to be fixed.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council of England: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England has spent per capita on  (a) capital projects and  (b) revenue funding in (i) Leeds and (ii) West Yorkshire in each year since 2001.

Si�n Simon: Arts Council England has supplied the figures in the table. The figures represent its total funding, awarded in £000, either on a revenue or capital basis to organisations or individuals based (by post code) in Leeds and West Yorkshire.
	
		
			  LA/capital/revenue  2001- 0 2  2002- 0 3  2003- 0 4  2004- 0 5  2005- 0 6  2006- 0 7  2007- 0 8  2008- 0 9 
			  Leeds 
			 Lottery capital 625 5,589 - 19,600 - - - - 
			 Lottery revenue 1,585 941 917 1,255 1,782 1,984 993 1,529 
			 Grant in aid revenue 10,060 11,163 11,901 13,511 14,115 15,220 15,840 16,290 
			 Total 12,270 17,694 12,818 34,366 15,897 17,204 16,833 17,819 
			  West Yorkshire 
			 Lottery capital 3,162 5,589 6,487 19,600 - - - - 
			 Lottery revenue 3,439 2,100 2,867 7,181 3,797 4,654 2,157 2,825 
			 Grant in aid revenue 11,864 13,181 14,181 16,207 17,059 18,298 19,035 20,198 
			 Total 18,465 20,870 23,535 42,988 20,857 22,951 21,192 23,023

Bible: Anniversaries

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department plans to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible in 2011.

Si�n Simon: The Department is not planning to mark this anniversary. However, the British Library plans to highlight the linguistic contribution of the King James Bible in its exhibition on the English language, scheduled for November 2010 to April 2011 in London. They plan to feature a first edition from 1611 as a star exhibit.

Broadcasting: Derbyshire

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding will be provided for broadcasting services in West Derbyshire as a result of proposals contained in the Digital Britain White Paper.

Si�n Simon: The Digital Britain White Paper proposes to sustain public service broadcasting across the UK. Digital Britain does not contain funding proposals for broadcasting services in individual constituencies.

Casinos

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1142-43W, on casinos, what assessment he has made of the progress made by each of the 16 licensing authorities which have won bids for either small or large casinos.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 October 2009
	 I am aware that some of the 16 local authorities permitted to issue large and small casino premises licences are planning to invite applications for the new premises licences within the next few months. However, it remains the responsibility of the individual licensing authorities themselves as to when they announce their process and timetable for applications.

Cultural Heritage

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria his Department uses to determine whether to mark anniversaries of cultural and sporting events in the UK's national history.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We do not have set criteria to determine whether to mark sporting and cultural anniversaries.

English Heritage: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much English Heritage received in grant-in-aid funding from his Department  (a) in cash terms and  (b) expressed in current prices in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The information requested is set out in the following table. These are audited outturn figures sourced from DCMS accounts:
	
		
			Cash terms  ( £000 )  Current prices (2008-09)  (£ 000 ) 
			 Appropriation accounts 1997-98 105,183 136,295 
			  1998-99 102,404 129,956 
			  1999-2000 112,609 140,148 
			  2000-01 119,000 146,180 
			  2001-02 110,401 132,655 
			 
			 Resource accounts 2002-03 116,387 135,477 
			  2003-04 119,442 135,222 
			  2004-05 127,901 140,881 
			  2005-06 129,136 139,636 
			  2006-07 141,321 148,421 
			  2007-08 136,636 139,626 
			  2008-09 129,358 129,358 
		
	
	Government support for our historic buildings and sites is supplemented by significant funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other organisations such as the National Trust.
	As a result of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review English Heritage received a cash increase in resource GIA from £123.7 million in 2007-08 to £124.7 million in 2008-09. The table is based on the outturn of English Heritage draw-down against such allocations and includes capital spend and money rolled over through end of year flexibility.

Horserace Totalisator Board

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the proceeds of the sale of the Tote will be provided to British horseracing.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 October 2009
	The Government's position remains that we will honour our commitment to return half of the net proceeds of any market sale of the Tote to racing, subject to the requirements of European state aid and competition rule. I am unable to disclose commercially confidential or sensitive information about the valuation of the Tote or prospective Government payments to agents.

Horserace Totalisator Board

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1143-44W, on the Reserve Totalmeter Board, on what date his Department was informed of the decision taken on 23 September 2009 to include the Tote in the list of assets to be sold.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 October 2009
	The Department was aware of the decision in principle to include the Tote on the list of assets sold during a meeting on 23 September 2009.
	Officials from the Department were present as well as Ministers.

Licensing Laws: Language

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1144W, on licensing laws: languages, in how many languages tests relating to obtaining a personal licence for the retail sale of alcohol can be taken in; and if he will amend his Department's criteria for accredited personal licence course providers to stipulate that examinations must be taken in English.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 October 2009
	 Accredited licence course providers decide what languages tests can be taken in. I have no plans to make it a requirement that exams be taken in English only, not least as this would be contrary to the Department's Welsh language policy.

Listed Events Review

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to make an announcement on the Listed Events Review; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I expect to receive shortly the report of the independent advisory panel on the future of listed events. In the light of its recommendations I shall reach my own preliminary conclusions and will consult further on these with the broadcasting authorities and affected rights holders, as required by the Broadcasting Act 1996, before reaching my final decisions.

Listed Events Review

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account his Department has taken of the BBC's submission to the Listed Events Review.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I expect to receive shortly the panel's report and recommendations. The panel has had the benefit of the BBC's submissions in response to the consultation exercise. In the light of its recommendations I shall reach my own preliminary conclusions and will consult further on these with the broadcasting authorities and affected rights holders, as required by the Broadcasting Act 1996, before reaching my final decisions.

Local Press: Government Assistance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to introduce to provide assistance to regional news broadcasters.

Si�n Simon: The Digital Britain White Paper makes clear that sustainable nations' regional and local news is a priority. The Government have decided to secure the plural provision of this kind of content by awarding funding to news consortia that will have the scope to provide enhanced localness, provided in the Channel 3 broadcasting schedule to build on existing reach and access to audiences, as well as via multi-platform delivery.

Music: Public Participation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the number of adults who have  (a) participated in musical activity and  (b) attended a music event in each region in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  (a) Participation :  proportion participating in music activities by Government office region (GOR) 
			  Percentage 
			   Year 1  Year 2  Year 3  Year 4 
			 North East 13.0 10.6 10.3 10.3 
			 North West 12.1 11.6 12.3 10.9 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 13.0 12.4 12.0 11.2 
			 East Midlands 15.5 13.4 13.3 11.5 
			 West Midlands 11.9 13.0 11.9 10.9 
			 East of England 15.6 13.6 16.2 14.7 
			 London 17.6 14.2 15.6 12.8 
			 South East 15.9 15.2 15.1 15.6 
			 South West 15.4 15.2 16.6 14.4 
			 Total 14.7 13.5 14.0 12.8 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Attendance :  proportion attending music events by GOR 
			  Percentage 
			   Year 1  Year 2  Year 3  Year 4 
			 North East 41.4 42.3 39.0 39.6 
			 North West 41.6 41.9 45.6 44.4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 40.3 41.3 43.0 40.5 
			 East Midlands 45.1 43.9 47.3 42.1 
			 West Midlands 42.0 41.2 44.4 40.5 
			 East of England 48.9 51.8 50.6 50.6 
			 London 42.8 39.0 41.6 42.3 
			 South East 50.8 52.4 54.6 51.5 
			 South West 49.0 48.1 49.1 47.0 
			 Total 45.0 45.0 46.8 44.9 
			  Note:  Year 1 = 2005-06 Year 2 = 2006-07 Year 3 = 2007-08 Year 4 = 2008-09.   Source:  Taking Part survey, DCMS. 
		
	
	The Taking Part survey was commissioned by DCMS and partner NDPBs in 2005 as a continuous annual survey. The fourth year of data, 2008-09, was released in August 2009.

National Lottery: Pay

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the pro-rata full-time salary of the chief executive of each of the Lottery distributors was in 2008-09.

Si�n Simon: The requested information can be found in the annual reports and accounts for the public bodies concerned, copies of which are available from the House Library.

Pay Television

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to respond to phase 3 of Ofcom's consultation on pay television; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: I have no plans to respond to Ofcom's 'Pay TV-phase 3 consultation' which closed on 18 September. Ofcom's Pay TV market investigation is a competition consideration and therefore is primarily a matter for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Sport England: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of Sport England's £10 million Sustainable Facilities Fund has been spent in 2009-10; and what projects have received such funding.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 October 2009
	Sport England's Sustainable Facilities Fund invests in modern community facility projects that are viable in the long term-partnerships between public, private and commercial organisations with sustainable revenue funding to maintain high standards of facility provision and customer service.
	The fund invests close to £10 million a year of lottery and Exchequer money into innovative projects capable of transforming the places where we play or take part in sport as part of our aim to create a world-leading community sport system of clubs, coaches, facilities and volunteers.
	Sport England has recently announced the first round of funding for seven awards through the Sustainable Facilities Fund, totalling £6,869,000. The details of these awards can be found in the following table. In addition to this, Sport England has invited a further four applicants to bid for stage two development awards, which will be announced later in the year.
	
		
			  Applicant  Project title  Grant (£)  Status  Funding  Region 
			 Plymouth City Council Plymouth Life Centre 1,999,000 Award Exchequer South West 
			 Nottingham Trent University Extension to 8 Sports Hall 700,000 Award Exchequer East Midlands 
			 Northrowram Community Sports and Activity Centre Clubhouse 175,000 Award Exchequer Yorks 
			 Paignton Community Sports College Sports Hub 375,000 Award Exchequer South West 
			 Burnage RFU All Weather Pitch 120,000 Award Exchequer North West 
			 Durham University Maiden Castle Sports Centre 500,000 Award Exchequer North East 
			 Manchester City Council Regeneration Sportcity 3,000,000 Award Lottery North West

Swimming: Derbyshire

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire have participated in the scheme for free swimming for people over 60 years old.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the total number of free swims that have taken place under the free swimming scheme by people aged 60 and over across the Derbyshire and North East Derbyshire areas in a given time period (April/May/June/Q1 total). This is not a measure of the total number of individual participants taking part in free swimming, as the Department does not hold these figures.
	
		
			   Free swims: 60+ 
			  Local authority name  April  May  June  Q1 t otal 
			 Amber Valley 1,153 1,565 1,857 4,575 
			 Bolsover 708 710 460 1,878 
			 Chesterfield 1,734 2,048 2,474 6,256 
			 Derby UA 1,928 2,008 1,998 5,934 
			 Derbyshire Dales 949 1,587 2,297 4,833 
			 Erewash 2,350 2,528 3,074 7,952 
			 High Peak 2,022 2,026 5,021 9,069 
			 North East Derbyshire 2,894 3,239 3,691 9,824 
			 South Derbyshire 739 1,017 1,117 2,873 
			 Total 14,477 16,728 21,989 53,194

Swimming: Derbyshire

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire have taken part in the scheme for free swimming for children under 16 years old.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The table shows the total number of free swims that have taken place under the free swimming scheme by people aged 16 and under across the Derbyshire and North East Derbyshire areas in a given time period (April/May/June/Q1 total). This is not a measure of the total number of individual participants taking part in free swimming, as the Department does not hold these figures.
	
		
			   Free swims: 16 and under 
			  Local authority name  April  May  June  Q1 total 
			 Amber Valley 944 3,486 2,066 6,496 
			 Bolsover 2,105 1,843 1,077 5,025 
			 Chesterfield 7,075 9,126 7,976 24,177 
			 Derby UA 7,337 9,433 8,037 24,807 
			 Derbyshire Dales 2,774 2,468 2,426 7,668 
			 Erewash 7,318 8,246 6,584 22,148 
			 High Peak 5,347 4,197 9,782 19,326 
			 North East Derbyshire 5,866 5,088 5,067 16,021 
			 South Derbyshire 1,491 2,232 2,249 5,972 
			 Total 40,257 46,119 45,264 131,640

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications there have been for funding from Pot 4 of his Department's funding for its free swimming initiative; and in respect of which swimming pools the applications have been received.

Ben Bradshaw: Sport England has advised that they have received 173 eligible applications for funding in the second round (2010-11) of Pot 4 of the Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme.
	The breakdown is as follows: 126 applications for funding for public swimming pools (DCMS allocated funding), and 47 applications for pools on educational sites (DCSF allocated funding).

Video Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on the UK video games industry.

Si�n Simon: We have not carried out an assessment of the impact of the recession on the UK video games industry. However, industry evidence suggests that the UK games sector continues to demonstrate remarkable success with total sales of £4.034 billion in 2008, a rise of 23 per cent. from 2007.

Video Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the economic growth rate in the UK video games industry has been in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the likely rate of growth in 2009-10.

Si�n Simon: Accurate data on the video and computer games sector are not readily available to the Department, particularly as the sector has not had its own separate Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. A new SIC code for computer games has now been agreed though this will not deliver data until 2010 at the earliest.
	We do not project future trends of the markets but, according to industry figures, since 2004 the UK Video Games industry has experienced modest growth of around 4 per cent. per annum and this is projected to continue to 2011.
	 Source:
	Oxford Economics 2008

Video Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the contribution of the video games industry to the UK's gross domestic product in each of the last five years; and what the estimated contribution is for 2009-10.

Si�n Simon: Accurate data on the video and computer games sector are not readily available to the Department, particularly as the sector has not had its own separate Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. A new SIC code for computer games has now been agreed though it will not deliver data until 2010 at the earliest.

Video Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many people were employed in the UK video games industry in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies in the UK video games industry in the last 12 months.

Si�n Simon: Accurate data on the video and computer games sector are not readily available to the Department, particularly as the sector has not had its own separate Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. A new SIC code for computer games has now been agreed though this will not deliver data until 2010 at the earliest.
	DCMS does not hold employment data of this kind.

DEFENCE

Service Justice System

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in developing governance arrangements for the operation of each part of the Service Justice System; and what external stakeholder groups he has identified to participate in such arrangements.

Kevan Jones: Arrangements for the governance of the whole Service justice system were approved by Ministers in December 2007. The purpose of governance is to set direction, provide oversight and facilitate cooperation between stakeholders within and outside the Ministry of Defence. These functions are undertaken by the Service Justice Board and a supporting executive group. Stakeholders outside the Ministry of Defence include the Attorney-General's Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Judge Advocate General.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of C Company, 2 Rifles were  (a) killed and  (b) injured during the Company's most recent tour in Helmand province.

Bob Ainsworth: Since May 2009 there have been 13 members of 2nd Battalion The Rifles killed in Afghanistan.
	Between April and September 2009 14 members of 2nd Battalion The Rifles have been very seriously injured or seriously injured. We do not publish data on less severe injuries, so this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which EU military operations UK military personnel are serving; and how many are serving in each operation.

Bill Rammell: The UK contributes military personnel to two EU operations: protection of World Food Programme and vulnerable shipping off the horn of Africa (Operation Atalanta) and peace-keeping in Bosnia (Operation Althea). At present the UK contributes 51 military personnel to Operation Atalanta and 10 military personnel to Operation Althea.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-service personnel have made claims in the last 30 years for compensation for adverse health effects arising from exposure to chemicals during their service in Canada between 1960 and 1980; and in how many such cases compensation was paid.

Kevan Jones: The War Pension Scheme (WPS) provides no-fault compensation for all former Service Personnel where illness, injury or death is caused by service before 6 April 2005.
	Although the War Pension Computer System contains details of medical conditions relating to claims for War Disablement Pensions, details of the specific causes of these medical conditions are not recorded. The current system was implemented in 1995 and claims prior to this date are not held electronically. The manual search and assessment of many thousands of files would be required to provide the information requested and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Drugs

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have  (a) tested positive for drugs and  (b) been dismissed from the service for drug taking in the last three years.

Kevan Jones: The following table indicates the number of armed forces personnel who have tested positive for drugs during a Compulsory Drug Test (CDT) and those who have been dismissed from the service for drug offences including positive CDT test results in the last three full years.
	
		
			   Positive CDT tests  Discharges due to drug offences 
			 2008 1,117 806 
			 2007 857 840 
			 2006 912 840

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties have been leased by Defence Estates to meet otherwise unfulfilled needs using funds within its own resources in each year since its formation; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: I assume the hon. Member is referring to service accommodation.
	Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) and Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA) is used to meet our obligation to house entitled service personnel and their families in cases where no service accommodation is available.
	With regards to SSFA, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 3 December 2007,  Official Report, column 823W. Updated figures are provided in the table.
	
		
			   Number of properties taken on during year  Total number of properties rented during year 
			 2007 (updated to  31 December 2007) 636 1,919 
			 2008 966 2,173 
			 2009 (to 22 October 2009) 659 2,155 
		
	
	SSSA is commonly granted where service personnel are working at MOD sites where little or no Single Living Accommodation is available. Wherever possible DE uses vacant SFA to meet demands for SLA. SSSA properties may be used to accommodate more than one single serviceman. Figures for SSSA from 2003 are provided in the table.
	
		
			   Number of properties taken on during year  Total number of properties rented during year 
			 2003 1,747 4,405 
			 2004 1,794 5,002 
			 2005 1,793 5,243 
			 2006 2,001 5,668 
			 2007 2,147 6,121 
			 2008 2,271 6,658 
			 2009 (to  22 October 2009) 2,021 6,768

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of properties of Defence Estates' stock have been classified as  (a) Condition 3 and  (b) Condition 4 in each year since the formation of Defence Estates; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 36W.
	For the latest number of Service Family Accommodation in England and Wales at Standard 3 and 4, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 873W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).

Armed Forces: Housing

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the maintenance and repair of service accommodation.

Kevan Jones: Defence Estates works closely with all of its repair and maintenance contractors to ensure that levels of service continually improves and that repair jobs are completed within required timescales and to an acceptable standard of workmanship.
	As an example, in England and Wales, to improve the maintenance and repair of service accommodation, personal digital assistants (PDA) will be introduced to allow better access to information about the property, including details of previous jobs. Among other benefits, this should ensure the right trade goes to the right job. We also aim to ensure better management of the supply chain to ensure there is a focus on getting repairs right first time.
	All SFA locations are to be assigned to a specified DE Housing Officer and MHS Technical Officer who will work closely to provide a cohesive approach to enhanced service delivery. They will act as dedicated focal points for local commanders and will be responsible for holding housing clinics, getting to know families and resolving everyday problems.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on mental health care services in each year since 2001.

Kevan Jones: The majority of mental healthcare for service personnel is provided through MOD's 15 military-run Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) in the UK (with additional centres in Germany, Cyprus and Gibraltar), which have since 2004 provided out-patient mental healthcare for members of the armed forces. Responsibility for their individual management is shared between the single service commands, with oversight from the Joint Medical Command. However, each service funds its respective DCMHs differently. Owing to the number of different internal budgets to which costs would be attributable, any detailed analysis of DCMH finances would therefore incur disproportionate costs.
	In-patient care, when necessary, is provided in specialised psychiatric units under contract with an external provider. Between April 2004 and March 2009, this was provided by the Priory Group, and costs in each financial year are contained in the following table:
	
		
			   Contract value  (£ million) 
			 1 December 2003-31 March 2004 0.4 
			 1 April 2004-31 March 2005 4.2 
			 1 April 2005-31 March 2006 4.5 
			 1 April 2006-31 March 2007 3.4 
			 1 April 2007-31 March 2008 3.9 
			 1 April 2008-31 March 2009 3.3 
		
	
	These figures take into account the cost of assessing patients as well as any treatment programmes provided; the individual care needs of each patient will vary depending on their particular medical circumstances. They also include services provided by the Priory Group between 1 December 2003 and April 2004 prior to the formal contract start date.
	The contract with the Priory Group has been replaced by a new one, awarded in November 2008 following open competition, with a partnership of seven NHS trusts led by South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust. Costs for its first full 12 months of operation will be available in spring 2010.
	Prior to April 2004, in-patient care was provided at MOD's Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital at Catterick. Full historic costs back to 2001 are not available, although costs in its final year of operation (2002-03) were some £10 million.

Armed Forces: Training

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the training budget for the  (a) Territorial Army,  (b) University Officer Training Corps and  (c) Cadet Force is in 2009-10.

Bill Rammell: This year is very challenging in resource terms, and success in Afghanistan must take priority. As such the Army has directed that the Regular Forces and the reserves must focus available resources on supporting the ongoing campaign in Afghanistan, which means reducing activity levels elsewhere. The overall budget for the Territorial Army, which is inclusive of the University Officer Training Corps, has been reduced by £43 million from £139 million. The funding for the Army Cadet Force has been reduced by £4 million from £29 million.
	Forecast outturn for the Air Cadet Organisation and Navy Command Cadets for the current financial year is £20.6 million and £11 million respectively
	The output of the Territorial Army, University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) and Cadet Forces is focused on training and therefore all activity is either directly or indirectly attributable to planning, organising or conducting training.

British Forces Post Office

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for the future of the British Forces Post Office; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The information was published in Defence Internal Brief, Serial 2009DIB/37 dated 6 October 2009, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Defence Board

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS, on defence acquisition (independent review), who the members of the new sub-committee of the Defence Board are; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: As recommended in Bernard Gray's recent report on Defence Acquisition, the members of the new Defence board sub-committee on equipment are the Permanent Under Secretary, the Chief of the Defence Staff, the 2nd Permanent Under Secretary, the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff and the Director-General Finance. The sub-committee is charged with determining, for agreement by the Defence board and Ministers, an equipment plan that is aligned with strategy, affordable and realistic.

Defence Medical Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many compensation claims have been submitted by armed forces personnel in respect of malpractice on the part of Defence Medical Services; how many such claims were upheld; and how much was paid out against such claims in each year.

Kevan Jones: The number of new clinical negligence compensation claims is not recorded on the Department's claims database in a format that differentiates between service personnel, service dependants and civilian cases. The number of claims upheld and the amount of compensation, including legal costs, paid out each year to service personnel is identifiable. The figures are shown in the following table. Information relating to clinical negligence can be found in the Department's Claims Annual Report which has been issued each year since 1997-98, a copy of which is held in the Libraries of the Houses.
	
		
			   All new clinical negligence claims received  Service personnel claims upheld  Compensation/legal costs (£ million) 
			 1997-98 308 21 0.4 
			 1998-99 255 51 2.3 
			 1999-2000 147 49 2.5 
			 2000-01 128 49 6.1 
			 2001-02 142 39 0.8 
			 2002-03 119 39 3.9 
			 2003-04 92 24 2.6 
			 2004-05 86 17 3.3 
			 2005-06 69 21 3.8 
			 2006-07 67 14 1.5 
			 2007-08 86 10 2.9 
			 2008-09 55 17 5.3

Defence Medical Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) actual strength,  (b) establishment and  (c) percentage difference between establishment and actual strength is of each speciality of qualified medical personnel (a) in the Army and (b) tri-service.

Kevan Jones: Manning statistics for the Defence Medical Services are updated twice a year, in April and October. The October 2009 figures are currently being collated, and verified figures should be available by the end of November. I will place these figures in the Library of the House.

Defence: Procurement

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS, on defence acquisition (independent review), what arrangements he plans to make to provide greater visibility of project management costs in the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation to the Capability Sponsor in head office; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: We are currently reviewing how best to provide greater visibility of project management costs, and this will be addressed as part of the Strategy for Acquisition Reform to be published in the new year.

Defence: Procurement

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS, on defence acquisition (independent review), what steps he plans to take  (a) to improve the way in which projects in the equipment plan are costed,  (b) to use better and more sophisticated techniques applied more consistently and  (c) to ensure that investment decisions are based on the most reliable forecasts; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: We are examining options to improve our approach to costing, and will be addressing this as part of the Strategy for Acquisition Reform to be published in the new year.

Departmental Energy

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has a strategy for voltage optimisation on its estimate.

Kevan Jones: There are currently no plans to roll out voltage optimisation across the whole of the defence estate. However, voltage optimisation technology is currently being trialled at Lympstone. This work will inform our future approach to wider application of the technology across our estate.

Departmental Procurement

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 140, on departmental procurement, 
	(1)  how many of the recommendations of the Glover Report on Accelerating the SME engine his Department has implemented;
	(2)  what target date his Department has set for implementation of all the key recommendations of the Glover Report on Accelerating the SME engine.

Quentin Davies: The Glover Report recommendations relate to the adoption of a number of public procurement related measures across Government and their implementation is being led by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The OGC, BIS and other Government departments, including local government, are working towards completing the implementation of each of the recommendations as soon as possible and within the timescales, where given, within the report.

Departmental Publicity

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on information campaigns and advertising in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The majority of information campaigns and advertising conducted by the Ministry of Defence are part of the drive to recruit the best personnel to the armed forces and civil service. In addition the Department may promote other initiatives such as armed forces day.
	Spend relating to these activities, which is available centrally, is shown in the following table. The figures given include creative and production costs, as well as media spend.
	
		
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 2004-05 23.8 
			 2005-06 23.5 
			 2006-07 21.0 
			 2007-08 33.6 
			 2008-09 37.4 
		
	
	Figures are not available prior to FY 2004-05 and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 2009-10 are not yet available.

Departmental Secondment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which staff have been seconded to his Department from the private sector since 2000, stating in each case the secondee's  (a) name,  (b) company,  (c) position within his Department and  (d) start and end date of secondment.

Kevan Jones: There have been 76 individuals seconded into the MOD since the beginning of 2000. A breakdown of the respective start and end dates of the secondments, together with reasons for joining the department is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Staff seconded into the MOD from the private sector since 2000 
			  Identifier  Reason for joining  Start date  End date 
			 Individual 1 Loan/secondment into MOD 12 January 2000 24 May 2004 
			 Individual 2 Loan/secondment into MOD 3 May 2000 To date 
			 Individual 3 Loan/secondment into MOD 9 November 2000 9 November 2009 
			 Individual 4 Loan/secondment into MOD 8 May 2001 1 June 2005 
			 Individual 5 Loan/secondment into MOD 25 June 2001 1 September 2003 
			 Individual 6 Loan/secondment into MOD 2 January 2002 24 September 2003 
			 Individual 7 Loan/secondment into MOD 28 January 2002 1 February 2005 
			 Individual 8 Loan/secondment into MOD 15 April 2002 31 July 2007 
			 Individual 9 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 July 2002 To date 
			 Individual 10 Loan/secondment into MOD 27 August 2002 23 August 2005 
			 Individual 11 Loan/secondment into MOD 5 September 2002 31 December 2006 
			 Individual 12 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 October 2002 1 October 2005 
			 Individual 13 Loan/secondment into MOD 6 February 2003 24 March 2005 
			 Individual 14 Loan/secondment into MOD 9 March 2003 4 July 2005 
			 Individual 15 Loan/secondment into MOD 18 March 2003 31 March 2006 
			 Individual 16 Loan/secondment into MOD 2 June 2003 8 December 2007 
			 Individual 17 Loan/secondment into MOD 2 June 2003 13 June 2005 
			 Individual 18 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 September 2003 1 July 2006 
			 Individual 19 Loan/secondment into MOD 18 September 2003 8 December 2004 
			 Individual 20 Loan/secondment into MOD 22 September 2003 14 October 2005 
			 Individual 21 Loan/secondment into MOD 27 September 2003 4 May 2009 
			 Individual 22 Loan/secondment into MOD 20 January 2004 1 June 2005 
			 Individual 23 Loan/secondment into MOD 5 April 2004 20 September 2008 
			 Individual 24 Loan/secondment into MOD 19 April 2004 8 January 2005 
			 Individual 25 Loan/secondment into MOD 24 May 2004 22 November 2004 
			 Individual 26 Loan/secondment into MOD 4 October 2004 To date 
			 Individual 27 Loan/secondment into MOD 22 November 2004 27 July 2009 
			 Individual 28 Loan/secondment into MOD 10 January 2005 1 February 2006 
			 Individual 29 Loan/secondment into MOD 7 February 2005 13 October 2007 
			 Individual 30 Loan/secondment into MOD 21 February 2005 1 March 2008 
			 Individual 31 Loan/secondment into MOD 29 March 2005 31 August 2005 
			 Individual 32 Loan/secondment into MOD 9 May 2005 1 May 2008 
			 Individual 33 Loan/secondment into MOD 6 June 2005 28 September 2007 
			 Individual 34 Loan/secondment into MOD 4 July 2005 1 August 2005 
			 Individual 35 Loan/secondment into MOD 13 August 2005 30 June 2007 
			 Individual 36 Loan/secondment into MOD 12 September 2005 15 September 2007 
			 Individual 37 Loan/secondment into MOD 19 September 2005 26 September 2007 
			 Individual 38 Loan/secondment into MOD 28 November 2005 20 April 2009 
			 Individual 39 Loan/secondment into MOD 5 December 2005 4 December 2007 
			 Individual 40 Loan/secondment into MOD 8 December 2005 20 October 2007 
			 Individual 41 Loan/secondment into MOD 19 December 2005 To date 
			 Individual 42 Loan/secondment into MOD 15 May 2006 1 October 2007 
			 Individual 43 Loan/secondment into MOD 17 July 2006 To date 
			 Individual 44 Loan/secondment into MOD 21 July 2006 31 May 2008 
			 Individual 45 Loan/secondment into MOD 30 October 2006 To date 
			 Individual 46 Loan/secondment into MOD 6 November 2006 1 April 2008 
			 Individual 47 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 February 2007 To date 
			 Individual 48 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 February 2007 To date 
			 Individual 49 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 February 2007 To date 
			 Individual 50 Loan/secondment into MOD 1 February 2007 To date 
			 Individual 51 Loan/secondment into MOD 26 February 2007 26 July 2008 
			 Individual 52 Loan/secondment into MOD 3 April 2007 To date 
			 Individual 53 Loan/secondment into MOD 4 June 2007 To date 
			 Individual 54 Loan/secondment into MOD 8 August 2007 22 January 2008 
			 Individual 55 Loan/secondment into MOD 3 September 2007 To date 
			 Individual 56 Loan/secondment into MOD 17 September 2007 23 October 2008 
			 Individual 57 Loan/secondment into MOD 21 November 2007 4 August 2008 
			 Individual 58 Loan/secondment into MOD 10 December 2007 To date 
			 Individual 59 Interchange private sector 4 February 2008 To date 
			 Individual 60 Interchange private sector 17 March 2008 To date 
			 Individual 61 Interchange private sector 21 April 2008 To date 
			 Individual 62 Non-Executive Director 16 July 2008 To date 
			 Individual 63 Non-Executive Director 16 July 2008 To date 
			 Individual 64 Interchange private sector 1 September 2008 To date 
			 Individual 65 Non-Executive Director 16 October 2008 To date 
			 Individual 66 Interchange private sector 10 November 2008 26 January 2009 
			 Individual 67 Interchange private sector 23 March 2009 14 May 2009 
			 Individual 68 Interchange private sector 30 March 2009 To date 
			 Individual 69 Interchange private sector 16 June 2009 To date 
			 Individual 70 Interchange private sector 1 July 2009 To date 
			 Individual 71 Non-Executive Director 15 July 2009 To date 
			 Individual 72 Non-Executive Director 21 July 2009 To date 
			 Individual 73 Non-Executive Director 20 August 2009 To date 
			 Individual 74 Non-Executive Director 20 August 2009 To date 
			 Individual 75 Non-Executive Director 20 August 2009 To date 
			 Individual 76 Non-Executive Director 24 August 2009 To date

Departmental Secondment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which staff from his Department have been seconded to the defence industry since 2000, stating in each case the secondee's  (a) name,  (b) position/rank,  (c) company,  (d) start and end date of secondment and  (e) whether the person concerned is still employed by his Department.

Kevan Jones: There have been 72 individuals seconded out of the MOD to the private sector since the beginning of 2000. We do not record whether these secondments are to companies specifically within the defence industry, but the following table provides a breakdown of all instances by position/rank, start/end dates and whether still employed (for pay purposes). I have not included the names of individuals as this would break the Data Protection Act 1998.
	
		
			  Staff seconded out to the private sector 
			  Identifier  Position/rank  Reason  Start dat e  End date  Still employed (for pay purposes) 
			 Individual 1 D Outside Employment 31 July 2000 1 August 2003 No 
			 Individual 2 C2 Outside Employment 3 November 2000 13 June 2005 Yes 
			 Individual 3 C2 Outside Employment 4 January 2001 5 January 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 4 E1 Outside Employment 2 February 2001 4 February 2003 No 
			 Individual 5 E2 Outside Employment 30 September 2001 23 February 2005 No 
			 Individual 6 E2 Outside Employment 14 December 2001 8 June 2004 No 
			 Individual 7 E1 Outside Employment 14 December 2001 1 April 2005 No 
			 Individual 8 E1 Outside Employment 2 January 2002 3 January 2005 No 
			 Individual 9 D Outside Employment 11 April 2002 5 May 2003 No 
			 Individual 10 B2 Outside Employment 14 May 2002 To Date No 
			 Individual 11 E1 Outside Employment 24 June 2002 15 January 2007 No 
			 Individual 12 B1 Interchange with Industry 1 July 2002 4 July 2005 Yes 
			 Individual 13 D Outside Employment 27 August 2002 26 August 2005 No 
			 Individual 14 E2 Outside Employment 1 October 2002 To Date No 
			 Individual 15 E2 Outside Employment 17 October 2002 2 August 2006 No 
			 Individual 16 E2 Outside Employment 4 February 2003 13 August 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 17 Nurse Grade F Outside Employment 4 February 2003 4 October 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 18 E2 Outside Employment 10 February 2003 22 July 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 19 E1 Outside Employment 10 February 2003 4 September 2003 No 
			 Individual 22 Nurse Grade E Outside Employment 17 February 2003 10 June 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 20 D Outside Employment 17 February 2003 19 August 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 21 D Outside Employment 17 February 2003 28 August 2003 No 
			 Individual 23 E2 Outside Employment 17 February 2003 1 September 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 24 E1 Outside Employment 18 February 2003 23 July 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 26 E1 Outside Employment 19 February 2003 24 February 2003 No 
			 Individual 25 C2 Outside Employment 19 February 2003 21 August 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 27 D Outside Employment 19 February 2003 19 September 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 28 D Outside Employment 19 February 2003 19 February 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 29 E1 Outside Employment 20 February 2003 5 August 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 30 C1 Outside Employment 22 February 2003 10 February 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 31 E2 Outside Employment 23 February 2003 21 August 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 32 D Outside Employment 24 February 2003 9 June 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 33 D Outside Employment 26 February 2003 9 June 2003 No 
			 Individual 34 E1 Outside Employment 27 February 2003 5 June 2003 Yes 
			 individual 35 D Outside Employment 1 March 2003 16 June 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 36 D Outside Employment 18 March 2003 4 August 2003 No 
			 Individual 37 C2 Outside Employment 1 April 2003 14 July 2003 No 
			 Individual 38 C1 Interchange with Industry 1 May 2003 23 February 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 39 C1 Outside Employment 30 May 2003 15 February 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 40 D Outside Employment 9 June 2003 7 November 2003 Yes 
			 Individual 41 C1 Outside Employment 11 June 2003 23 February 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 42 E2 Outside Employment 17 June 2003 9 January 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 43 E2 Outside Employment 18 June 2003 16 January 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 44 E1 Outside Employment 26 June 2003 19 September 2003 No 
			 Individual 45 E2 Outside Employment 29 June 2003 20 January 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 47 E2 Outside Employment 2 July 2003 1 January 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 46 E1 Outside Employment 2 July 2003 8 January 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 48 C2 Outside Employment 10 November 2003 10 February 2004 No 
			 Individual 49 C1 Outside Employment 5 January 2004 2 August 2004 No 
			 Individual 50 El Outside Employment 22 March 2004 4 February 2005 Yes 
			 Individual 51 B1 Interchange with Industry 30 April 2004 24 April 2008 No 
			 Individual 52 C1 Interchange with Industry 10 May 2004 8 May 2006 Yes 
			 Individual 53 Record Reviewer Outside Employment 28 July 2004 25 September 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 54 C1 Outside Employment 16 September 2004 4 October 2004 Yes 
			 Individual 55 D Outside Employment 18 October 2004 8 November 2004 No 
			 Individual 56 C1 Outside Employment 1 June 2005 26 June 2006 Yes 
			 Individual 53 Record Reviewer Outside Employment 11 July 2005 20 August 2005 Yes 
			 Individual 57 E1 Outside Employment 1 November 2005 25 January 2006 No 
			 Individual 58 Queen Vict Schl Prin Teacher Interchange Private Sector 18 August 2008 27 June 2009 Yes 
			 Individual 59 B2 Interchange Private Sector 1 November 2008 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 60 B2 Interchange Private Sector 10 November 2008 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 61 B2 Interchange Private Sector 24 November 2008 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 62 C1 Interchange Private Sector 15 December 2008 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 63 B1 Interchange Private Sector 5 January 2009 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 64 Physiothrpst Specialist Interchange Private Sector 2 February 2009 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 65 C1 Interchange Private Sector 9 February 2009 To Date No 
			 Individual 66 C2 Interchange Private Sector 23 February 2009 7 September 2009 Yes 
			 Individual 67 B2 Interchange Private Sector 8 June 2009 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 68 C1 Interchange Private Sector 27 July 2009 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 69 B2 Interchange Private Sector 3 August 2009 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 70 B1 Interchange Private Sector 1 September 2009 To Date Yes 
			 Individual 71 B1 Interchange Private Sector 14 September 2009 To Date Yes

Departmental Training

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS, on defence acquisition (independent review), what steps he plans to take to accelerate the improvement of key skills in  (a) the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation and  (b) his Department's head office; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: We will be examining options for accelerating skills both in defence equipment and support and in MOD head office, and will be addressing this as part of the Strategy for Acquisition Reform to be published in the new year.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposed new  (a) revenue streams and  (b) opportunities to sell products and services his Department has discussed with the Met Office; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: As part of the Met Office's business planning, the development of new and innovative weather and climate services for both Government and commercial customers is being pursued, For example, the Met Office has recently launched new web services for the aviation and marine industries to help with operational decision-making. It has also identified potential for services to better support health care planning and delivery and to help society plan for and adapt to climate change.
	Work is also under way on the next steps of the Operational Efficiency Programme review of the Met Office. This will examine, among other things, the potential to expand the Met Office's commercial activities and opportunities to develop specific services in some cases with private sector partners.

Ex-servicemen: Radiation Exposure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings have been held between representatives of his Department and representatives of nuclear test veterans to establish the boundaries of a possible settlement since June 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Discussions have been held and are still ongoing between the parties. However, in order to protect the Department's position grounds for appeal were lodged with the Court of Appeal on 12 October, which was the latest date allowed under the permission to do so granted by the High Court. It is important to note that this does not mean a formal end to the attempts to negotiate settlement.

Internal Investment Approvals Board

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members of his Department's Internal Investment Approvals Board are.

Bob Ainsworth: The Investment Approvals Board consists of the Chief Scientific Adviser (Chairman), the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, the Chief of Defence Materiel, the Director General Finance, the Director General Defence Commercial and the Director Central Legal Services.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Minister for Veterans expects to reply to the letter of 23 September 2009 from the hon. Member for Billericay on British nuclear test veterans.

Kevan Jones: I responded to the hon. Member's letter on 20 October 2009.

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Scottish Executive on arrangements for the Submarine Dismantling Project.

Quentin Davies: No representations have been received from the Scottish Executive on arrangements for the Submarine Dismantling Project.
	Regular engagement with the Scottish Executive is maintained through the Submarine Dismantling Project Advisory Group and the Submarine Dismantling Project Steering Group. The Scottish Executive has also been invited to participate in the initial scoping phase, once initiated, of the Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Submarine Dismantling Project.

Strategic Defence Review

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any defence procurement projects have been  (a) cancelled and  (b) postponed pending a strategic defence review.

Quentin Davies: No defence procurement projects have been cancelled or postponed pending a strategic defence review.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to ensure the eligibility of Territorial Army personnel for  (a) annual bounty and  (b) the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal following the reduction in Territorial Army training days.

Bill Rammell: In relation to the steps being taken to ensure opportunities remain for individuals to qualify for their bounty where they have not already done so, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1020-21W, to the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes (Mr. Lancaster).
	Given that opportunities will continue to exist for individuals to earn their bounty, eligibility for the Volunteers Reserve Service Medal should be unaffected by the reduction in TA training this year.

Territorial Army: Pay

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the bounty payable to Territorial Army soldiers on completion of annual training requirements will be paid to such soldiers who do not undertake training owing to the withdrawal of training days.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1021W, to the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes (Mr. Lancaster).

Territorial Army: Training

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which alternative cost-saving measures were considered before deciding to reduce Territorial Army training.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 15 October 2009
	Like all Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence routinely reviews expenditure to ensure that we allocate our resources where they are needed most. As part of this process senior officials discussed emerging budgetary pressures in the summer and then asked all budget holders within the Department to review all uncommitted funding. Following this review, savings measures that helped balance the financial deficit, and which do not detract from support to current operations, were recommended. Although some of these savings are painful, they had to be taken to ensure that the Ministry of Defence stayed within budget.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aluminium: Recycling

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the aluminium industry on the use of recycled cans to make motor vehicles.

Dan Norris: No representations on this subject have been received to date.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has received from the salvage of carcasses or part carcasses of bovine tuberculosis reactor, inconclusive or dangerous contact cattle sold into the food chain in  (a) 1986-96 and  (b) 1997 to date; and how such receipts are accounted for in his Department's analysis of its expenditure on bovine tuberculosis.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Receipts in each of the last 10 complete financial years, for cattle culled for TB control reasons, are shown as follows. We are not able to provide details of receipts back to 1986 without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 4.3 
			 2007-08 1.7 
			 2006-07 0.5 
			 2005-06 1.5 
			 2004-05 1.2 
			 2003-04 1.1 
			 2002-03 3.7 
			 2001-02 0.7 
			 2000-01 1.1 
			 1999-2000 0.9 
		
	
	In terms of how these receipts are accounted for in analyses of expenditure, we either use a TB compensation figure net of salvage receipts or provide TB compensation spend figures and salvage receipt figures separately.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the government of  (a) the Republic of Ireland and  (b) New Zealand on the vaccination of badgers against bovine tuberculosis; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State has discussed vaccination of badgers against bovine TB with the New Zealand Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity and Forestry.
	The majority of DEFRA's TB vaccine research programme is led by researchers at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, who collaborate with researchers in both the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. DEFRA officials have met with their counterparts from the Republic of Ireland and representatives of the industry-led New Zealand Animal Health Board several times recently to discuss work programmes and ensure a coordinated research effort, particularly in regards to the design of badger vaccine field studies and licensing requirements for the use of the BCG vaccine against TB.

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements have been put in place to ensure the fairness of the tendering process in circumstances where the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science is both advising his Department on the selection of bids and is itself one of the bidders.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The arrangements to ensure the fairness of the tendering process in circumstances where CEFAS is both involved in advising on the selection of bids and is itself one of the bidders is set out the governance document 'Marine Environment Protection Fund (MEPF): Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund Delivery Partner on behalf of DEFRA: Who We Are and How We Operate' published on the MALSF website at
	http://www.alsf-mepf.org.uk/downloads/documents/mepf---how-we-operate.aspx
	The Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund is delivered through the Marine Environment Protection Fund (MEPF) which is administered by CEFAS on behalf of DEFRA and reports to DEFRA though the Marine ALSF Steering Group. The Marine ALSF Steering Group oversees the direction of the fund, develops the commissioning strategy for research and dissemination activities and oversees delivery arrangements.
	All funding decisions are made by the MEPF evaluation panel which undertakes the evaluation of tenders. The MEPF evaluation panel is chaired by DEFRA and comprises representation from eight organisations of which CEFAS is one, plus the Marine ALSF Science Co-ordinator who is appointed through an open competition. The MEPF provides the Secretariat function to the evaluation panel and any views and opinions of the Secretariat at the evaluation panel meetings are made as representing the MEPF as a delivery partner. The Secretariat has no decision-making powers or voting rights on the evaluation panel.
	The MEPF panel's terms of reference govern the arrangements for ensuring fairness in the evaluation of bids in circumstances where an evaluation panel member is from the same organisation as a bidder. These arrangements involve:
	1. All evaluation panels begin with a round-table declaration of any potential conflicts of interest. A two-tiered approach to managing potential conflicts is then followed:
	a) Direct involvement-If a panel member is to be part of a project delivery team and/or has helped prepare the proposal, they are required to be absent from the room while the proposal is being discussed and evaluated.
	b) Indirect involvement-If a panel member's company/organisation has submitted a proposal but the panel member had played no part whatsoever in its preparation nor was to be involved with the project delivery team, the panel member is required to be a non-voting member of the panel while considering the bid but may remain in the room while the proposal is being discussed and evaluated.
	2. Any individual involved in project evaluation other than central Government staff members will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement to protect the intellectual property of project applicants. These agreements must also be in place for any member of staff who receives bids from the other distributing bodies during the liaison process.
	To maintain impartiality and confidentiality, the MEPF delivery partner operates entirely separately from CEFAS' main corporate and delivery functions. Specifically:
	MEPF services are provided by a dedicated team from the Programme Management Group of CEFAS devoted only to the provision of MEPF fund management services.
	The MEPF is separate from the Science Delivery Divisions and the Commercial Group of CEFAS and MEPF staff are not involved in MEPF bid preparation or delivery.
	CEFAS bidding teams and project leaders are not able to have sight of MEPF Managed Funds papers.
	Electronic files are stored on local area, not shared contracts area, with restricted access to the ALSF_MEPF local areas. Paper files are locked away and stored separately away from central contracts file store.

Chelgate

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 98W, on domestic wastes, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness against objectives of the public affairs work undertaken by Chelgate Ltd for the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Dan Norris: No such assessment has been made by DEFRA. The requested assessment concerns the detailed operational activities of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), and is not therefore a matter for DEFRA. I understand that the chief executive of WRAP has on two occasions offered to meet the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) to discuss any issues of concern to him, and I would encourage him to take up that offer.

Dairy Farming

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price paid to dairy farmers per litre of milk is; and what the price was on 1 June 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Average UK prices paid to dairy farmers per litre of milk during 2009 are shown in the table. Daily prices are not collected but the average price for June 2009 was 22.5 pence per litre.
	
		
			  Average UK farm-gate milk price, 2009 
			   Pence per litre 
			 January 25.80 
			 February 24.90 
			 March 24.60 
			 April 23.60 
			 May 22.50 
			 June 22.50 
			 July 22.99 
			 August 23.26 
			  Source:  DEFRA statistics, DARD, RERAD.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Dan Norris: From information held centrally, the following sums have been spent on hire vehicles from financial year 2005-06 to date:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2005-06 35,003 
			 2006-07 110,279 
			 2007-08 134,803 
			 2008-09 143,644 
			 2009-10 to date 50,368

Domestic Waste: Fixed Penalties

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the merits of introducing a statutory appeals process for fixed penalty notices issued under the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government do not consider that a statutory appeals process for fixed penalty notices is needed.
	Fixed penalty notices for offences, such as littering, are issued as an alternative to prosecution in a magistrates court. Accepting and paying a fixed penalty notice removes all liability for the offence. An individual served with a notice may choose instead to have their case tried in court.

Domestic Waste: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the figures for each London local authority for  (a) household waste per head,  (b) percentage of all household waste recycled,  (c) total non-household waste and  (d) percentage of all non-household waste recycled were for (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Dan Norris: The following table shows the data requested for 2006-07 and 2007-08. Local authority level data for all of 2008-09 will be published on DEFRA's website on 5 November 2009.
	As requested, reuse is not included in any of the recycling data so will therefore not match some published data which include reuse.
	
		
			   Collected household waste per person (kg)  Household recycling and composting rate  Total non-household waste  Estimated non-household recycling and composting rate 
			  Authority  2006-07  2007-08  2006-07  2007-08  2006-07  2007-08  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Bexley LB 507.50 483.60 40.00 41.64 23,366.08 25,014.71 17.30 17.38 
			 Tower Hamlets LB 396.40 406.91 11.75 13.04 22,485.24 26,659.36 1.23 3.41 
			 City of London 570.20 700.09 28.19 33.39 39,091.19 34,950.09 2.16 4.23 
			 Westminster City Council 334.70 357.32 20.38 22.72 110,322.00 110,661.00 2.90 2.39 
			 Redbridge LB 417.10 408.02 18.60 22.38 14,708.58 16,944.95 12.50 11.79 
			 Newham LB 448.60 474.64 13.58 14.40 30,707.55 28,287.94 8.44 12.43 
			 Havering LB 517.80 489.52 20.43 23.98 17,158.24 17,912.69 0.28 17.61 
			 Barking and Dagenham LB 524.80 526.81 21.08 20.41 15,824.98 15,931.36 20.98 24.94 
			 Waltham Forest LB 445.00 454.59 27.51 29.74 26,439.42 24,985.04 14.40 12.02 
			 Islington LB 433.30 404.21 23.50 26.33 38,316.60 38,018.33 4.61 4.16 
			 Haringey LB 341.50 366.08 24.72 25.68 43,837.38 42,230.82 10.83 10.63 
			 Hackney LB 394.60 379.78 19.57 22.38 49,088.72 46,532.65 2.58 2.57 
			 Enfield LB 409.10 422.38 29.64 28.19 25,417.98 24,729.78 7.04 11.21 
			 Camden LB 335.00 317.77 28.05 27.12 60,224.80 60,027.82 3.73 5.03 
			 Barnet LB 431.60 438.68 29.47 30.68 33,400.64 32,656.04 3.24 4.54 
			 Southwark LB 427.00 412.50 18.46 20.02 29,123.18 29,129.90 8.63 12.60 
			 Lewisham LB 469.90 451.37 15.75 21.99 25,158.46 25,457.81 2.42 2.49 
			 Greenwich LB 458.10 463.21 23.61 30.52 11,828.90 9,607.16 12.59 7.08 
			 Sutton LB 464.80 442.32 30.26 32.48 12,615.13 12,037.40 3.17 1.85 
			 Merton LB 386.60 404.95 25.05 27.08 20,980.13 12,183.28 4.79 8.84 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 444.30 419.83 23.90 25.62 7,750.70 2,092.77 0.00 0.00 
			 Croydon LB 406.80 401.79 20.11 22.71 50,439.00 48,180.37 20.70 26.79 
			 Bromley LB 498.40 481.07 31.85 34.46 18,282.38 21,373.48 0.00 0.00 
			 Richmond upon Thames LB 431.90 435.12 31.71 36.14 21,622.62 22,074.31 22.05 33.52 
			 Hounslow LB 499.50 462.08 19.62 21.75 28,545.42 11,797.79 2.75 15.47 
			 Hillingdon LB 491.90 481.14 30.64 33.76 30,904.30 30,266.49 1.01 1.45 
			 Harrow LB 477.00 455.48 27.70 39.55 18,093.00 16,517.00 0.00 4.05 
			 Ealing LB 404.10 386.91 24.92 28.94 22,215.17 19,873.93 0.00 0.00 
			 Brent LB 411.20 401.19 21.52 20.98 19,852.03 18,689.83 7.67 9.04 
			 Wandsworth LB 366.00 386.20 22.87 24.66 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 
			 Lambeth LB 351.60 355.80 23.10 25.12 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 310.10 349.30 24.28 27.93 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham LB 339.70 343.74 23.63 26.89 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has undertaken into smells and odours from household waste.

Dan Norris: The Waste and Resources Action Programme and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Scoping Study of Potential Health Effects of Fortnightly Residual Waste Collection and Related Changes to Domestic Waste Systems report, published in July 2009, provides a review of the current knowledge on householder as well as occupational impacts of smell and odours associated with the collection of household wastes.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to prohibit the disposal of domestic food waste in landfill.

Dan Norris: The Government are currently assessing the case for introducing further restrictions on sending biodegradable waste, including food waste, to landfill. This assessment will be informed by two pieces of research on landfill bans, one ongoing and one recently published. A full public consultation will take place in the next few months.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued on the disposal of waste receptacle and recycling boxes at the end of their life.

Dan Norris: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued any guidance on the disposal of waste receptacle and recycling boxes at the end of their life.

Exmoor National Park

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many pre-planning applications were received per parish in the Exmoor National Park in the last three years;
	(2)  how many pre-planning applications were submitted to the committee of the Exmoor National Park in each year since 2005-06;
	(3)  how many pre-planning applications submitted to the committee of the Exmoor National Park were subject to delegated powers in the last three years for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many of the pre-planning applications submitted to the committee of the Exmoor National Park resulted in full planning submissions in the last three years;
	(5)  how many pre-planning applications submitted to the Committee of the Exmoor National Park in the last three years involved a visit by a planning officer;
	(6)  how many pre-planning applications submitted to the committee of the Exmoor National Park in the last three years were contested.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Town and Country Planning Act provisions do not include a category of 'pre-planning application' and therefore it is not clear exactly what information is required. My Department has made Exmoor National Park Authority aware of the above questions and it would be happy to provide further information if the hon. Member for Bridgwater would contact it directly with clarification.

Exmoor National Park Authority: Public Appointments

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost to his Department was of appointments to the committee of the Exmoor National Park made by the Secretary of State in the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Secretary of State appoints members every year to each of the English National Park Authorities that have vacancies. The process for inviting applications and selecting the successful candidates also involves Natural England, the National Park Authorities and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The cost of making these appointments for Exmoor or the other individual park authorities is therefore not available.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking in the Council of Ministers to seek to improve the welfare of live horses during transport in mainland Europe.

Jim Fitzpatrick: At the Agriculture Council on 7 September the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, expressed concern at the unnecessarily long journeys some animals, including horses, undertake within Europe, particularly for slaughter. He urged the European Commission to give due consideration to shorter journey times and improved enforcement of welfare in transport rules when they bring forward proposals to review the welfare in transport regulation 1/2005.

Ivory: Smuggling

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to assist African countries to tackle the illegal ivory trade.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government support initiatives to improve enforcement under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). They have provided support over several years to the CITES programmes: MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) and ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System). The latter monitors the illegal trade in ivory and elephant products.

Keep Britain Tidy: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has provided for Keep Britain Tidy in the last three years; and how much funding he plans to provide in 2009-10.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows DEFRA's grant to Keep Britain Tidy in the current year and in the previous three years:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 5 
			 2007-08 4.6 
			 2008-09 5 
			 2009-10 5 
			  Source:  DEFRA

Landfill

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of municipal waste went to landfill in each local authority area in 2007-08.

Dan Norris: The following table shows the proportion of municipal waste sent to landfill. The data can also be found on the DEFRA website.
	These data are only available for unitary authorities and waste disposal authorities. Waste collection authorities' waste is disposed of by their waste disposal authority.
	
		
			  Municipal waste sent to landfill in England in 2007-08 
			  Authority  Landfill (tonnes)  Total municipal waste (tonnes)  Proportion of waste sent to landfill (percentage) 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council 14,688 105,227 13.96 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council 9,503 76,915 12.35 
			 Middlesbrough Borough Council 15,393 88,696 17.35 
			 Hartlepool Borough Council 6,351 54,454 11.66 
			 Darlington Borough Council 43,849 67,141 65.31 
			 Durham County Council 206,135 291,282 70.77 
			 Northumberland County Council 110,593 179,599 61.58 
			 Sunderland city Council 113,090 155,668 72.65 
			 South Tyneside MBC 64,250 88,538 72.57 
			 North Tyneside Council 69,537 122,811 56.62 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council MBC 122,946 171,135 71.84 
			 Gateshead MBC 82,894 110,465 75.04 
			 Warrington Borough Council 71,333 111,100 64.21 
			 Halton Borough Council 53,863 77,663 69.35 
			 Cheshire County Council 252,024 427,534 58.95 
			 Cumbria County Council 198,481 308,042 64.43 
			 Wigan MBC 120,953 197,605 61.21 
			 Greater Manchester WDA (MBC) 788,827 1,288,461 61.22 
			 Blackpool Borough Council 53,985 80,672 66.92 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 46,851 72,091 64.99 
			 Lancashire County Council 367,957 659,707 55.78 
			 Merseyside WDA (MBC) 566,722 829,532 68.32 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Council 133,887 207,932 64.39 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull City Council 106,949 145,689 73.41 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 19,469 94,845 20.53 
			 North Lincolnshire Council 56,648 101,726 55.69 
			 York City Council 67,235 118,602 56.69 
			 North Yorkshire County Council 247,384 385,572 64.16 
			 Sheffield city Council 40,032 244,415 16.38 
			 Rotherham MBC 81,984 129,948 63.09 
			 Doncaster MBC 114,478 178,778 64.03 
			 Barnsley MBC 79,435 117,131 67.82 
			 Leeds City Council MBC 249,709 355,976 70.15 
			 Kirklees MBC 84,665 233,737 36.22 
			 Wakefield City MDC 146,992 189,736 77.47 
			 Bradford City MDC (MBC) 214,130 268,411 79.78 
			 Calderdale MBC 65,880 92,527 71.20 
			 Derby City Council 76,995 131,419 58.59 
			 Derbyshire County Council 253,638 400,355 63.35 
			 Rutland County Council 13,750 20,522 67.00 
			 Leicester city Council 76,630 134,797 56.85 
			 Leicestershire County Council 209,328 375,246 55.78 
			 Lincolnshire County Council 176,743 352,123 50.19 
			 Northamptonshire County Council 233,297 387,277 60.24 
			 Nottingham City Council 32,046 172,179 18.61 
			 Nottinghamshire County Council 206,308 439,448 46.95 
			 Herefordshire Council 64,340 96,039 66.99 
			 Worcestershire County Council 155,859 299,863 51.98 
			 Telford and Wrekin Council 62,630 93,553 66.95 
			 Shropshire County Council 97,019 174,694 55.54 
			 Stoke-on-Trent City Council 26,563 130,534 20.35 
			 Staffordshire County Council 172,792 469,775 36.78 
			 Warwickshire County Council 181,101 303,773 59.62 
			 Wolverhampton MBC 31,522 142,417 22.13 
			 Walsall MBC 61,841 138,382 44.69 
			 Solihull MBC 16,253 100,475 16.18 
			 Sandwell MBC 93,424 142,504 65.56 
			 Dudley MBC 23,239 146,729 15.84 
			 Coventry City Council 18,760 171,749 10.92 
			 Birmingham City Council 108,768 573,548 18.96 
			 Luton Borough Council 70,505 107,031 65.87 
			 Bedfordshire County Council 131,368 212,480 61.83 
			 Peterborough City Council 56,999 102,043 55.86 
			 Cambridgeshire County Council 170,872 333,138 51.29 
			 Thurrock Council 53,116 76,621 69.32 
			 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 53,655 84,234 63.70 
			 Essex County Council 437,595 732,578 59.73 
			 Hertfordshire County Council 318,608 567,753 56.12 
			 Norfolk County Council 242,697 409,964 59.20 
			 Suffolk County Council 233,886 408,268 57.29 
			 Bexley LB 59,629 132,182 45.11 
			 Tower Hamlets LB 100,518 113,378 88.66 
			 City of London 36,179 40,421 89.51 
			 Westminster City Council 27,414 193,525 14.17 
			 East London Waste Authority 276,781 504,483 54.86 
			 North London Waste Authority 292,428 944,588 30.96 
			 Southwark LB 74,605 140,351 53.16 
			 Lewisham LB 14,301 141,287 10.12 
			 Greenwich LB 2,993 112,650 2.66 
			 Sutton LB 64,377 91,965 70.00 
			 Merton LB 69,467 92,242 75.31 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 49,601 67,560 73.42 
			 Croydon LB 139,697 183,608 76.08 
			 Bromley LB 71,735 165,262 43.41 
			 West London Waste Authority 567,666 772,767 73.46 
			 Western Riverside Waste Authority 361,214 457,397 78.97 
			 Wokingham Council 46,495 77,633 59.89 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council 45,165 69,092 65.37 
			 Slough Borough Council 48,549 62,153 78.11 
			 Reading Borough Council 49,859 78,972 63.14 
			 West Berkshire District Council 64,337 83,997 76.59 
			 Bracknell Forest Borough Council 34,751 59,244 58.66 
			 Milton Keynes Council 88,803 135,202 65.68 
			 Buckinghamshire County Council 161,486 265,739 60.77 
			 Brighton and Hove Council 66,434 112,373 59.12 
			 East Sussex County Council 152,633 270,318 56.46 
			 Southampton City Council 26,802 120,224 22.29 
			 Portsmouth City Council 11,630 85,701 13.57 
			 Hampshire County Council 85,549 696,553 12.28 
			 Isle of Wight Council 52,703 86,004 61.28 
			 Medway Borough Council 90,454 138,360 65.38 
			 Kent County Council 427,584 803,494 53.22 
			 Oxfordshire County Council 204,418 331,194 61.72 
			 Surrey County Council 397,601 622,382 63.88 
			 West Sussex County Council 279,823 464,341 60.26 
			 Council of the Isles of Scilly 0 3,135 0.00 
			 Bath and North East Somerset Council 55,512 97,109 57.16 
			 Bristol City Council 115,589 185,502 62.31 
			 Cornwall County Council 210,386 324,480 64.84 
			 Torbay Council 56,042 78,720 71.19 
			 Plymouth City Council 94,442 148,663 63.53 
			 Devon County Council 218,088 438,616 49.72 
			 Poole Borough Council 62,326 94,929 65.66 
			 Bournemouth Borough Council 55,512 93,142 59.60 
			 Dorset County Council 120,048 228,159 52.62 
			 Gloucestershire County Council 201,703 323,076 62.43 
			 North Somerset Council 70,437 111,946 62.92 
			 Somerset County Council 159,805 297,991 53.63 
			 South Gloucestershire Council 78,958 146,796 53.79 
			 Swindon Borough Council 60,692 97,543 62.22 
			 Wiltshire County Council 158,966 259,567 61.24

Landfill

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities did not reduce the proportion of their waste sent to landfill in the course of 2007-08.

Dan Norris: The following table shows the authorities in England that did not reduce the proportion of their waste sent to landfill in the course of 2007-08.
	These data only include unitary authorities and waste disposal authorities. Waste collection authorities' waste is disposed of by their waste disposal authority.
	
		
			  Authority  Percentage of waste sent to landfill in 2006-07  Percentage of waste sent to landfill in 2007-08  Difference between 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			 Bexley LB 43.09 45.11 2.02 
			 Bradford City MDC (MBC) 78.96 79.78 0.82 
			 Bromley LB 41.67 43.41 1.73 
			 Dudley MBC 15.43 15.84 0.41 
			 Durham County Council 63.14 70.77 7.63 
			 Hartlepool Borough Council 10.63 11.66 1.04 
			 Isle of Wight Council 58.51 61.28 2.77 
			 Kent County Council 52.74 53.22 0.48 
			 Medway Borough Council 65.07 65.38 0.31 
			 Middlesbrough Borough Council 16.10 17.35 1.25 
			 Milton Keynes Council 63.72 65.68 1.96 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council 11.85 12.35 0.50 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 69.45 73.42 3.97 
			 Sheffield City Council 14.55 16.38 1.83 
			 Southampton City Council 17.72 22.29 4.57 
			 Southwark LB 48.81 53.16 4.35 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council 10.54 13.96 3.41 
			 Torbay Council 67.97 71.19 3.22 
			 Tower Hamlets LB 83.08 88.66 5.58 
			 Wiltshire County Council 60.16 61.24 1.09 
			 Wolverhampton MBC 17.30 22.13 4.84 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow

Litter: Rural Areas

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of littering in rural areas.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government's policy on tackling litter applies to all communities. There is no excuse for littering and local authorities have been given powers to deal with litterers, most recently through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. Littering is an offence and if convicted in a magistrates court an offender may receive a fine of up to £2,500 and a criminal record. As an alternative, local authorities have powers to issue on the spot fines of up to £80. The 2005 Act includes a power for parish councils to issue on the spot fines for littering the first time.
	Through its annual grant to the charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Government campaign for behaviour change on litter. Campaigns like The Big Tidy Up and the Eco-Schools programme raise awareness of the issue, and get communities and individuals actively involved in clean-ups, in understanding the impact of littering and taking greater responsibility for their neighbourhoods.

Local Government Association

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 443W, on the Local Government Association, what guidance his Department has provided on the status of the Local Government Association in respect of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Dan Norris: My Department has not provided any guidance on the status of the Local Government Association in respect of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs).
	Guidance on which bodies may be public authorities under the EIRs is publicly available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/policy/opengov/eir/guidance/full-guidance/pdf/guidance-2.pdf

Pigs

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) costs and  (b) benefits of maintaining the ban on raising pigs on swill.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No formal assessment has been made. However, at the time when the ban was introduced in 2001, around 70 swill processors lost trade and around 90 swill feeders had to find alternative sources of feed. Restaurants, kitchens and factories producing food also had to find alternative disposal routes. These bodies have subsequently adapted to the new rules and so a cost comparison between then and now would be difficult to make.
	The benefits of maintaining the ban remain primarily the prevention of disease spread. As the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak demonstrated, the financial and practical consequences of one mistake in swill feeding can be enormous and potentially far outweigh the costs above. This FMD outbreak, the cause of which was thought to be the feeding of unprocessed swill to pigs, is estimated to have cost in the region of £8 billion (including indirect costs) and the potential for re-introducing the disease by livestock being illegally fed on infected meat is a constant and on-going concern. For this reason, the Government support a maintenance of the EU wide ban which is now in place.

Recycling

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to introduce quotas on the minimum amount of recycled material to be used in  (a) motor vehicle manufacture and  (b) manufactured goods; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: There are no such plans.

Recycling

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of waste was  (a) recycled and  (b) composted in 2007-08 in each local authority area.

Dan Norris: I have asked for the list of local authorities ranked by waste recycled and composted in 2007-08 to be placed in the Library of the House.

Recycling

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities recycled or composted a smaller proportion of their total waste in 2007-08 than in 2006-07.

Dan Norris: The following table shows the English local authorities that composted a smaller proportion of their total household waste in 2007-08 than in 2006-07.
	
		
			   Household composting rate ( p ercentage)  
			  Authority  2006-07  2007-08  Difference between 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			 Easington District Council 20.85 4.24 -16.61 
			 Durham City Council 11.32 2.81 -8.51 
			 Sedgefield Borough Council 9.67 1.34 -8.33 
			 Derwentside District Council 9.03 1.44 -7.59 
			 Chester-Le-Street District Council 7.58 0.00 -7.58 
			 Durham County Council 12.23 5.89 -6.34 
			 Hertsmere Borough Council 17.40 12.15 -5.26 
			 Wear Valley District Council 8.26 3.16 -5.10 
			 West Devon Borough Council 18.98 13.93 -5.05 
			 Richmondshire District Council 14.75 11.79 -2.96 
			 Surrey Heath Borough Council 9.65 7.19 -2.47 
			 Camden LB 5.67 3.23 -2.44 
			 Hambleton District Council 29.23 27.15 -2.09 
			 Bridgnorth District Council 18.01 16.10 -1.91 
			 Wandsworth LB 3.61 2.08 -1.53 
			 West Wiltshire District Council 21.31 19.85 -1.47 
			 South Shropshire District Council 31.36 29.92 -1.44 
			 Brent LB 10.27 8.90 -1.38 
			 Chelmsford Borough Council 17.41 16.05 -1.36 
			 Spelthorne Borough Council 2.41 1.27 -1.14 
			 Watford Borough Council 16.01 14.96 -1.04 
			 Restormel Borough Council 0.95 0.00 -0.95 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham LB 4.46 3.56 -0.91 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 14.37 13.55 -0.83 
			 Colchester Borough Council 12.51 11.74 -0.77 
			 Northampton Borough Council 16.81 16.16 -0.65 
			 South Ribble Borough Council 21.98 21.36 -0.62 
			 Daventry District Council 29.93 29.31 -0.62 
			 Torbay Council 7.58 6.98 -0.59 
			 Forest Heath District Council 23.96 23.38 -0.57 
			 Bradford City MDC (MBC) 12.18 11.61 -0.57 
			 Shepway District Council 13.37 12.81 -0.56 
			 Lambeth LB 10.78 10.22 -0.56 
			 Medway Borough Council 12.27 11.73 -0.54 
			 Oxfordshire County Council 15.52 14.99 -0.53 
			 Harlow District Council 1.69 1.18 -0.51 
			 Wiltshire County Council 14.04 13.55 -0.49 
			 Woking Borough Council 11.21 10.83 -0.38 
			 Barking and Dagenham LB 5.93 5.58 -0.35 
			 Vale Royal Borough Council 26.01 25.69 -0.32 
			 Oadby and Wigston Borough Council 17.52 17.21 -0.30 
			 Waltham Forest LB 10.28 10.05 -0.23 
			 Kennet District Council 13.67 13.47 -0.20 
			 West Berkshire District Council 6.23 6.05 -0.18 
			 Bexley LB 17.79 17.62 -0.17 
			 Kerrier District Council 7.79 7.62 -0.17 
			 Southwark LB 4.18 4.02 -0.16 
			 Wolverhampton MBC 15.18 15.02 -0.16 
			 Maldon District Council 13.07 12.99 -0.08 
			 Western Riverside Waste Authority 5.84 5.81 -0.02 
			 Worcester City Council 0.06 0.05 -0.01 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow. 
		
	
	The following table shows the English local authorities that recycled a smaller proportion of their total household waste in 2007-08 than in 2006-07.
	
		
			   Household dry recycling rate (Percentage)  
			  Authority  2006-07  2007-08  Difference between 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			 North Kesteven District Council 34.21 29.15 -5.07 
			 Western Riverside Waste Authority 82.39 80.91 -1.48 
			 Gedling Borough Council 32.08 30.73 -1.35 
			 Kettering Borough Council 22.30 21.00 -1.30 
			 Erewash Borough Council 25.49 24.26 -1.23 
			 Haringey LB 19.35 18.25 -1.11 
			 Wiltshire County Council 24.24 23.13 -1.11 
			 Milton Keynes Council 24.38 23.44 -0.94 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council 24.62 23.68 -0.94 
			 Alnwick District Council 28.86 27.99 -0.87 
			 Chiltern District Council 32.44 31.91 -0.53 
			 Broxtowe Borough Council 26.54 26.10 -0.44 
			 East Cambridgeshire District Council 16.80 16.45 -0.35 
			 Bradford City MDC (MBC) 12.52 12.17 -0.35 
			 Barking and Dagenham LB 15.15 14.83 -0.33 
			 Rushcliffe Borough Council 27.07 26.89 -0.17 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 98.20 98.05 -0.16 
			 Enfield LB 18.22 18.08 -0.15 
			 Wokingham Council 22.82 22.68 -0.13 
			 Medway Borough Council 20.12 19.99 -0.13 
			 Telford and Wrekin Council 19.82 19.76 -0.07 
			 Ashfield District Council 27.62 27.59 -0.03 
			 Cambridgeshire County Council 22.88 22.86 -0.02 
			 Mansfield District Council 21.34 21.32 -0.02 
			 Isle of Wight Council 14.89 14.88 -0.01 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow.

Sheep: Tagging

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of sheep which will require electronic tagging following the implementation of measures for electronic identification of sheep and goats in accordance with Regulation (EC) 21/2004.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Animals born or identified after 31 December 2009 which are intended to be kept beyond 12 months of age will need to be electronically identified. Around 20 per cent. of lambs born each year are kept beyond this age as breeding replacements and will need to be electronically identified.

Sheep: Tagging

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on disease control which will result from the implementation of measures for the electronic tagging of sheep.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Independent epidemiological modelling has identified that the introduction of electronic identification (EID) and individual recording could reduce costs of managing an outbreak of exotic disease over the current UK system by up to 13 per cent. as a result of fewer infected premises and less animals being culled. It will also improve our ability to track individual animal movements.

Sheep: Tagging

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost to farmers of implementing measures for electronic identification of sheep and goats in accordance with Regulation (EC) 21/2004;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of compulsory electronic tagging of sheep on the  (a) domestic and  (b) international competitiveness of the livestock industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Two partial Impact Assessments are available on the DEFRA website. A final Impact Assessment will accompany implementing legislation later this year.

Sheep: Tagging

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce a compulsory farm of origin labelling scheme for  (a) lamb and  (b) other meats in conjunction with the operation of (i) electronic sheep tagging and (ii) other European directives on livestock traceability.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Compulsory EU labelling rules on origin of beef and veal already apply throughout the supply chain with full traceability being a key requirement. There are no current plans to introduce compulsory farm of origin labelling for lamb, or for other meats. Government do however support current EU proposals for a Regulation on the Provision of Food Information which would tighten up country or origin labelling, particularly for meat and meat products, requiring specified information to be given where claims of origin are made. These EU proposals do not relate to electronic sheep tagging or European directives on livestock traceability but are intended to ensure consumers have clear information about the origin of meat products.

Smallholdings: Local Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have smallholdings; what the area of each such authority's smallholdings is; and whether he plans to undertake a review of the future use and ownership of local authority smallholdings.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The annual report to parliament on smallholdings in England provides details of the numbers of statutory smallholdings held by local authorities analysed according to size of holding. This information is set out in the following table.
	The latest published annual report is the 57th report for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007, which is available in the Library of the House and can also be seen on the DEFRA website.
	DEFRA has no current plans to undertake a review of the future use and ownership of local authority smallholdings.
	
		
			  Analysis of smallholdings by size at 31 March 2007 
			   Number of holdings 
			  County/unitary authority  0-20 ha  20-40  ha  Over 40 ha  Total 
			 Bedfordshire 83 30 25 138 
			 Berkshire West - 2 1 3 
			 Bournemouth 5 1 1 7 
			 Brighton and Hove 24 4 23 51 
			 Buckinghamshire 35 17 14 66 
			 Cambridgeshire 137 67 140 344 
			 Cheshire 58 51 28 137 
			 City of York 2 - 2 4 
			 Cornwall 10 51 51 112 
			 Cumbria 6 8 - 14 
			 Devon 6 32 53 91 
			 Dorset 6 28 32 66 
			 Durham 1 2 12 15 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 65 54 17 136 
			 East Sussex - 1 1 2 
			 Essex 8 3 - 11 
			 Gloucestershire 56 49 31 136 
			 Hampshire 40 8 18 66 
			 Hartlepool - 1 1 2 
			 Herefordshire 4 48 9 61 
			 Hertfordshire 23 18 21 62 
			 Lancashire 2 - - 2 
			 Leicestershire 10 52 20 82 
			 Lincolnshire 120 84 76 280 
			 Medway 2 - 1 3 
			 Milton Keynes 5 2 5 12 
			 Norfolk 116 54 70 240 
			 Northamptonshire 8 5 2 15 
			 North Lincolnshire 17 1 - 18 
			 North Somerset 5 1 5 11 
			 Northumberland 1 - 6 7 
			 North Yorkshire 16 44 18 78 
			 Nottinghamshire 12 6 1 19 
			 Oxfordshire 34 5 2 41 
			 Peterborough 12 1 15 28 
			 Shropshire 25 17 1 43 
			 Slough 1 - - 1 
			 Somerset 17 41 31 89 
			 South Gloucestershire 8 6 4 18 
			 Staffordshire 48 68 19 135 
			 Suffolk 15 20 67 102 
			 Surrey 41 13 6 60 
			 Swindon 4 9 6 19 
			 Thurrock 6 3 2 11 
			 Torbay 2 - - 2 
			 Warrington 3 2 - 5 
			 Warwickshire 36 19 20 75 
			 West Sussex 14 2 5 21 
			 Wiltshire 22 27 22 71 
			 Worcestershire 96 20 10 126 
			 Total 1,267 977 894 3,138 
			  Source: Extract from the 57th annual report to Parliament on smallholdings in England

Veterinary Medicine: Nurses

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered veterinary nurses there are.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons maintains a list of veterinary nurses who are allowed by the Veterinary Services Act 1966 to undertake certain veterinary procedures. There are currently 8,795 qualified veterinary nurses on this list. Of these, 6,758 have voluntarily applied to join a non statutory register of veterinary nurses, and are therefore known as registered veterinary nurses.

Waste Disposal: Fixed Penalties

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty notices were served in respect of household waste disposal offences in Leeds City in each year since 2001.

Dan Norris: The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 enabled local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices for waste receptacle offences for the first time in April 2006. In the period 2006-07, Leeds city council issued and received payment on 41 fixed penalty notices.
	DEFRA has commissioned returns from English local authorities on fixed penalty notices issued for 2007-08 and 2008-09 for a range of environmental offences, including those relating to waste receptacles. Returns are still outstanding from many local authorities and these are being pursued. Results will be published on the DEFRA website in December.

Zero Waste Places

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of each bid made for Towards Zero Waste Place funding.

Dan Norris: Copies of the bids made for Towards Zero Waste Place funding will be made available in the House Library.

Zero Waste Places

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what schemes have received funding from his Department under the Zero Waste Places scheme since the scheme's inception; and what projects or policies have since been adopted as a result.

Dan Norris: In October 2008 the Government announced England's first six Zero Waste Places, which received total funding of £70,258. The places fulfilled a pathfinder role in identifying the barriers and illustrating solutions to enable other local authorities to adopt good sustainable waste management practices. These were:
	A Waste Free Tuesday Market Place-Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk;
	Peterborough City Centre-Peterborough Environment City Trust;
	Green Zones Community Development Project-London Borough of Brent;
	Shenley Church End Zero Waste Place Project-Milton Keynes Council;
	A Zero Waste Region-West Midlands (WM) Region;
	London Borough of Lewisham-Lewisham Zero Waste Eco Street.
	The initiative ran from October 2008 until May 2009. All projects were considered successful and all have continued in some form after the funding ended. Details of the six projects can be found on the Local Government Association website.
	We have also announced six new Zero Waste Places in parts of Shropshire, Dorchester, Brixton, Newham, Hoxton and Suffolk. We plan to support these places, which are moving towards zero waste through seed corn funding totalling approximately £50,000. The evidence generated by the projects will be used as guidance for other areas working towards a zero waste ambition.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 886W, on what subjects the learning and development activities were undertaken by his Department's staff.

Ann McKechin: A variety of external learning and development activities were undertaken by staff in the Scotland Office in the last 12 months, including health and safety training for senior executives, first aid training and various professional development activities.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Michael Foster: It is not possible to disaggregate costs in respect of overnight accommodation without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Developing Countries: Females

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to help increase standards of  (a) female literacy and  (b) medical care for women and girls in the world's 10 poorest countries.

Michael Foster: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to achieving the education millennium development goals of universal primary education and gender parity in education by 2015 and is spending at least £8.5 billion over the period 2006-15 in support of education in poor and developing countries. DFID regards supporting girls' education as a priority. DFID's Strategy, Girls' Education: Towards a Better Future for All (2005) sets out our approach to overcoming the barriers girls face in getting an education-it is available at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	 (b) In June 2008, the UK Government made a commitment to spend £6 billion on strengthening health systems and services over seven years to 2015 (plus £1 billion to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) event on 23 September highlighted the importance of providing health services free at the point of delivery. The UK-initiated Global Consensus on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health was also widely endorsed. It seeks to make health systems and investments work better for women and children, thus driving up standards. Leaders from Nepal, Malawi, Ghana, Liberia, Burundi and Sierra Leone announced historic shifts towards free health care. Removing the financial barriers to health services and providing services free at the point of use for women and children will ensure that the poorest people, especially women and girls, can access a trained health worker in the right place at the right time with the right infrastructure, equipment and drugs.

India: Tuberculosis

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's support for the national tuberculosis programme in India in reducing the incidence of tuberculosis in that country.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) support to India's National Tuberculosis Control Programme has been highly effective. The programme has averted an estimated 180,000 deaths a year since 2005. That is around 500 lives saved in India every day. DFID's support has helped put 1.5 million TB patients on treatment every year in India.
	Our support has ensured that India has faced no drug shortage, despite having the most rapidly expanding TB programme in the world. By March 2006, the programme had been scaled up to cover the entire country. Since 1997, the success rate for TB treatment has tripled from 25 per cent. to 86 per cent. and TB deaths rates have been cut seven-fold from 29 per cent. to 4 per cent.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Vacancies

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many full-time equivalent posts are currently vacant in the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Maria Eagle: None.

Training: Sight Impaired

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government have spent to support Braille literacy courses in each of the last four years; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Jabez Foster: My Department, the Government Equalities Office, was established in October 2007. It has not spent any money on Braille literacy courses since then.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anguilla: Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding the Government have contributed to the establishment of the Anguilla Renewable Energy Office.

Chris Bryant: The Anguilla Renewable Energy Office is being established by the Anguilla National Trust in conjunction with the government of Anguilla, as part of a project entitled Implementation of the Anguilla Energy Policy 2008-20. Phase One: Building a Broad Community Movement. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development funded Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) has committed £100,000 over two years in support of the overall project. OTEP has to date contributed £3,805 to the establishment of the Anguilla Renewable Energy Office.

British Council: Manpower

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British Council posts in the UK are being outsourced; what the cost-savings involved are; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The British Council is undertaking an investment and transformation programme across its network to increase the scale and impact of its global activities.
	This includes a proposal to consolidate the organisation's finance functions from five global centres into one overseas centre and one in the UK. As a result, the total number of UK finance posts would reduce from 98 to approximately 40. Around 40 posts would transfer to the overseas finance centre. Consultation on the proposals is ongoing and no final decision has yet been made. Proposed changes to the finance function do not include any plans to outsource to other companies.
	The overall savings from this reduction in staffing will be approximately £12 million per year.

British Council: Redundancy

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the terms of the redundancy agreement for British Council employees are being changed for existing staff; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The British Council's Redundancy Procedures Agreement was agreed and signed by the organisation and its local trade union on 12 June 2008. The agreement is based on relevant UK legislation and employment relations best practice. No changes to its terms are planned.

British Overseas Territories: Police

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many police officers have been arrested for criminal activity in each of the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean in the last five years.

Chris Bryant: The following table shows the number of arrests in the last five years but these figures do not necessarily translate into successful prosecutions.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Anguilla 6 
			 British Virgin Islands 9 
			 Cayman Islands 13 
			 Montserrat 2 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 3

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department and its agencies  (a) he,  (b) officials of his Department and  (c) officials of its agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Colombia: Land Mines

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Colombian Government on its use of land-mines to protect military installations.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 16 October 2009
	We have seen no evidence to suggest that the Colombian armed forces are using land-mines prohibited by the Ottawa Convention. We have therefore made no representations to the Colombian Government on the use of land-mines around military installations.

Colombia: Land Mines

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the Government of Colombia in respect of that Government's use of land-mines to protect military installations.

Chris Bryant: We have seen no evidence to suggest that the Colombian armed forces are using land mines prohibited by the Ottawa Convention. We have therefore made no representations to the Colombian Government on the use of land mines around military installations.

Colombia: Trade Unions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 108W, on Colombia, for which projects to strengthen labour relations in Colombia his Department is considering proposals.

Chris Bryant: In addition to supporting a UN Development Programme initiative aimed at improving human rights of trade unionists and the development of positive labour relations in Colombia, we are waiting for a revised proposal from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) on reconciliation and arbitration.
	We will consider the merits of that proposal at the appropriate time. I had the pleasure of meeting Colombian trade unionists during my recent visit to Bogota. The Government strongly believe in the legitimate and important role that trade unions play in civil society. We therefore continue to monitor labour relations in Colombia closely, raising concerns with the Colombian Government as necessary.

Consolidated Contractors Corporation

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) meetings,  (b) communications and  (c) other contacts Ministers and officials in his Department have had with the Consolidated Contractors Corporation (CCC Group) and its international offshoots in the last five years.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has had no contracts or purchase orders with the Consolidated Contractors Corporation (CCC Group) in the last five years.
	Regarding FCO meetings, communications, or other contacts with CCC Group, this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cyprus: Politics and Government

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of Turkish troops based in the Turkish-occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus.

Chris Bryant: The Government have made no estimate of the number of Turkish or Turkish Cypriot armed forces in the north of Cyprus.

Cyprus: Politics and Government

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had with the Government of  (a) the Republic of Cyprus,  (b) Greece and  (c) Turkey on the continuing role of the Guarantor Powers in the context of Cyprus's membership of the EU.

Chris Bryant: The Government regularly discusses with Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, the issue of security in the context of current negotiations to reunite the island.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote full implementation by the Governments of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo of their commitments to non-military policies to disarm, demobilise and repatriate members of the FDLR, as agreed in the 2007 Nairobi Communiqué; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 21 October 2009
	A combination of military and non-military pressure on the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR), and political co-operation between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, remains the most likely way of tackling the FDLR.
	Both countries recently announced their ambassadors, and Congolese President Kabila and Rwandan President Kagame held their first ever bilateral summit in August. We continue to encourage DRC and Rwanda to work on other key areas, such as border security, trade and the return of refugees.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that, in the course of Operation Kimia 2, MONUC is not directly or indirectly supporting FARDC members who have been accused of war crimes; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 21 October 2009
	The UK has stressed on various occasions to the UN that the UN Mission in the Democratic of Congo (DRC) (MONUC) should not provide such support, including to operations which involve Bosco Ntadanga, an International Criminal Court indictee. MONUC has assured the international community that it takes every effort to avoid doing so.
	The UK continues to push for implementation of this policy. DRC President Kabila recently announced a policy of Zero Tolerance for abuses, including those committed by the security forces. We continue to urge the DRC Government to fully implement this policy.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information on sizes of companies is not currently recorded on our management information system, Prism, although in accordance with the recommendations of the Glover report we are currently changing our processes to capture this information.
	We are unable at this time to generate a report containing information on Foreign and Commonwealth Office contracts with small businesses which means the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publicity

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on its  (a) Know Before You Go campaign,  (b) Another Side to Paradise campaign,  (c) Don't miss out campaign and  (d) other campaigns aimed at Britons travelling abroad co-ordinated by his Department in each year since 2001;
	(2)  whether any  (a) internal or  (b) external studies have been commissioned into the effectiveness of (i) his Department's Know Before You Go campaign and (ii) any subsidiary campaigns since 2001.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2172W.
	The cost of the Another Side to Paradise campaign was £15,000 and the cost of the Don't miss out campaign was approximately £12,000. The cost of all other campaigns that are aimed at Britons travelling abroad could be obtained from the Department and its 250 overseas posts only at disproportionate cost.

Diplomatic Service: Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2009,  Official Report, column 334W, on the LOCATE system, how many people have registered their details online in each year since the service's inception.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas online registration and crisis database, LOCATE, does not break down registrations on a yearly basis. However, it does record the total number of active registrations at any one time; that is to say the number of registered British nationals who are currently travelling, living or working overseas. As of 22 October 2009, this number stands at 56,661 people.

Falkland Islands: Oil

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have to license areas for oil exploration around the Falkland Islands.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 19 October 2009
	Exploration for oil and gas continues around the Falkland Islands and the Government continue to support this. In April 2008, the Government approved the Falkland Islands Government's request to resume open door licensing for offshore oil exploration and production in five blocks. Since then a number of companies have farmed-in with existing licence holders in preparation for drilling exploration wells. Exploratory drilling in the area to the north of the Islands could begin as early as February 2010.

Libya: Embassies

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Libyan diplomatic mission in the UK owes in outstanding  (a) parking fines,  (b) congestion charges and  (c) business rates.

Ivan Lewis: In June 2009, when the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual written ministerial statements on alleged abuses of diplomatic privileges and immunities were published, the Libyan embassy owed £2,760 in outstanding parking fines and £1,080 in congestion charge fees. They had no outstanding arrears for national non-domestic rates.

Overseas Territories Environment Programme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding the South Atlantic British Overseas Territories have received from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme for environmental management since 2005.

Chris Bryant: Since 2005 the Overseas Territories Environment Programme has funded projects totalling £2,056,100 in the South Atlantic British Overseas Territories.

Pakistan: Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest estimate is of levels of expenditure by Pakistan on its nuclear weapons programme.

Ivan Lewis: Pakistan's defence spending for the financial year 2008-09 is reported as being 305 billion rupees and is anticipated to reach 343 billion rupees for the next financial year. We do not have information on how much is devoted to the nuclear weapons programme, although any such programme will require significant levels of resources.
	We continue to engage with the government of Pakistan on a variety of defence matters, and regularly discuss counter proliferation issues with them.

Papal Nuncio

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Papal Nuncio of Britain.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions recently with the Papal Nuncio of the UK. Our ambassador to the Holy See has spoken to the Papal Nuncio twice in recent weeks.

Papal Visit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on proposals for a Papal visit to the United Kingdom.

Ivan Lewis: In February 2009, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister invited the Pope to visit the UK. To date, there has been no official announcement by either state of a Papal visit.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 9WS, on the Turks and Caicos Islands, how many staff of his Department have worked in the Governor's office since 2005; what the roles were of such staff; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The staffing of the Governor's Office consists of a Governor, a head of the Governor's Office (HoGO), a staff officer and a personal assistant. In November 2008 the staff was strengthened with the addition of a senior adviser to the Governor.
	Since 2005, three officers have filled the post of Governor, three the post of HoGO, two the post of staff officer and two the post of personal assistant. Since its creation in 2008 the senior adviser position has been filled by three staff. During periods of leave and illness, positions in Governor's Office have been covered by a number of staff on temporary duty.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 9WS, on the Turks and Caicos Islands, how often his Department plans to update the House on progress made to restore good governance, sustainable development and sound financial management to the Islands.

Chris Bryant: I will keep the House up to date through further statements when there are significant developments in the Islands.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Meetings

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Ministers in his Department have had meetings with the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands since July 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: My hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Healey (Meg Munn) met the Governor prior to his departure for the Turks and Caicos Islands in July 2008 and my hon. Friend, the then Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron), met him at the Overseas Territories Consultative Council in October 2008. I have not yet had the opportunity to meet him, but have spoken to him on the telephone.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long he expects the interim Government in the Turks and Caicos Islands to be in place.

Chris Bryant: On 14 August 2009 the Governor brought into force an Order in Council suspending ministerial Government and the House of Assembly in Turks and Caicos Island for a period of two years. It remains our intention that elections should be held by July 2011.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures his Department has put in place to ensure sustainable development in the Turks and Caicos Islands following the publication of Sir Robin Auld's final report on alleged corruption.

Chris Bryant: Crown land is the Turks and Caicos Island (TCI)'s biggest and most vulnerable asset. The Government have funded the appointment of a crown land adviser who is reviewing existing Crown land policy taking into account the TCI long-term sustainable development plan.

Visits Abroad: USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits he has made to the United States on official business in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made five visits to the US since October 2008 on official business.

Visits Abroad: Vatican

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits officials from his Department have made to the Holy See in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: The following officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have visited the Holy See in an official capacity in the last 12 months:
	Matthew Rycroft, Director EU (May 2009),
	John Duncan, HMA UKDIS Geneva (UK Permanent Representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament) (April 2009),
	Robin Gwynn, Climate Envoy for Vulnerable Countries (February 2009),
	John Ashton, UK Special Representative for Climate Change (December 2008).

TREASURY

Bradford and Bingley

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what compensation has been provided to shareholders of  (a) Bradford and Bingley and  (b) Northern Rock (i) on average per shareholder and (ii) in total; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To date, no compensation has been paid to former shareholders of Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley. The amount of compensation payable is to be determined by independent valuers in accordance with the Northern Rock plc Compensation Scheme Order 2008 and Bradford  Bingley plc Compensation Scheme Order 2009.
	The Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley independent valuers (Andrew Caldwell, Valuations Partner at BDO Stoy Hayward, and Peter Clokey of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, respectively) are both currently conducting the valuation exercises and will conclude their tasks as soon as practicable. Both valuers are independent and responsible for their own process and timing. Further information can be found on the independent valuers' websites at:
	www.northernrockvaluer.org.uk
	www.bandbvaluer.org.uk

Child Trust Fund

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether research has been undertaken to establish the reasons for the different child trust fund take-up rates between different regions in the UK; and what steps are being taken to increase the take-up level where it is lowest.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HMRC has been increasing its radio advertising in areas of low take-up and sends a reminder letter to all parents who don't open an account after eight months. If parents do not open an account within one year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will open an account for the child, ensuring that no child misses out on the benefits of a child trust fund account.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has a general public inquiry telephone line operating at standard rates.

Housing: Construction

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 194W, on housing: construction, whether the Valuebill/e-BAR interface is used in each case for each of the local authorities listed.

Ian Pearson: The Valuebill/e-BAR interface is not used for the submission of building commencement notices or building completion notices.

Housing: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy of the Valuation Office Agency is on whether unauthorised dwellings which do not have planning permission should be assessed for housing benefit or local housing allowance.

Ian Pearson: The local housing allowance is a standard allowance based on the area in which a claimant lives and the number of occupiers in their property, it is not a property specific housing benefit. The Valuation Office Agency's responsibility is to determine the median market rent for the appropriate size properties and provide those determinations to the local authorities each month. It is the responsibility of the local authority to assess housing benefit for individual claimants.

News International

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether any Minister or official in his Department has had  (a) meetings,  (b) communications and  (c) other contacts with News International in the last five years;
	(2)  whether any Minister or official in his Department has had  (a) meetings,  (b) communications and  (c) other contacts with the Monitor Group in the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what combination of letters and numbers is used for individual sub-location codes for the revaluation of non-domestic rates.

Ian Pearson: Any unique combination of letters and numbers up to a maximum of four may be used.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) accrued revenue in the last three months from callers to HMRC 08 telephone numbers being kept on line while waiting to be answered.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) centrally managed network of contact centres has received no revenue in respect of its use of 08 telephone numbers. HMRC's contact centre policy is to provide as quick and efficient a service as possible.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with representatives of the tourism industry in Wales on the financial effect of the revised furnished holiday letting rules.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials hold discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the financial effect which the revised furnished holiday letting rules will have on persons operating holiday lets in  (a) the UK and  (b) Wales.

Stephen Timms: An impact assessment for the changes to the furnished holiday lettings rules will be published at the 2009 pre-Budget report, alongside draft legislation.

Taxation: Scotland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs has responsibilities for the levy aspects of business improvement districts in Scotland.

Stephen Timms: No.
	These are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in conjunction with participating businesses in the business improvement district area.

Valuation Office Agency: East Midlands

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 194W, on housing: construction, which local authorities in the East Midlands provided details of  (a) building control commencement lists and  (b) building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12 months; and whether the Valuebill/e-BAR interface was used in each case.

Ian Pearson: A table showing which local authorities within the East Midlands region of England have provided building control commencement lists and building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12months is set out as follows.
	The Valuebill/e-BAR interface is not used for the submission of building control commencement lists or building control completion notices.
	
		
			  Billing authority  Commencement notices  Completion notices 
			 High Peak No No 
			 Derbyshire Dales Yes No 
			 Amber Valley No No 
			 North East and South Derbyshire No No 
			 Chesterfield Yes No 
			 Bolsover No No 
			 Derby Erewash No No 
			 Rushcliffe Yes No 
			 Broxtowe Yes No 
			 Ashfield Yes No 
			 Gedling No No 
			 Newark and Sherwood No No 
			 Mansfield No No 
			 Bassetlaw No No 
			 Nottingham Yes No 
			 Lincoln No No 
			 North Kesteven No No 
			 South Kesteven No No 
			 South Holland No No 
			 Boston No No 
			 East Lindsey No No 
			 West Lindsey No No 
			 Charnwood No No 
			 Melton Yes No 
			 Harborough No No 
			 Oadby and Wigston No No 
			 Blaby No Yes 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth No No 
			 North West Leicestershire No No 
			 Leicester No No 
			 Rutland Yes Yes 
			 South Northampton No No 
			 Northampton No No 
			 Daventry No No 
			 Wellingborough No No 
			 Kettering No No 
			 Corby No No 
			 East Northamptonshire No No

Valuation Office: Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 194-96W, on housing: construction, 
	(1)  which local authorities in the North East have provided details of  (a) building control commencement lists and  (b) building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency; and whether the Valuebill/e-BAR interface was used in each case;
	(2)  which local authorities in the North West provide details of  (a) building control commencement lists and  (b) building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency; and whether the Valuebill/e-BAR interface is used in each case;
	(3)  which local authorities in the South West provide details of  (a) building control commencement lists and  (b) building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency; and whether the Valuebill/e-BAR interface is used in each case.

Ian Pearson: A table showing which local authorities within the  (a) North East,  (b) North West and  (c) South West regions of England have provided building control commencement lists and building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency is shown as follows. The Valuebill/e-BAR interface is not used for the submission of building control commencement lists or building control completion notices.
	
		
			  Billing authority  Commencement notices  Completion notices 
			  (a) North East   
			 Northumberland No No 
			 Durham Yes(1) Yes(1) 
			 Darlington Yes Yes 
			 Gateshead No Yes 
			 Hartlepool Yes No 
			 Middlesbrough No No 
			 Newcastle No No 
			 North Tyneside No No 
			 Redcar and Cleveland No No 
			 South Tyneside No No 
			 Stockton-on-Tees No No 
			 Sunderland No Yes 
			
			  (b) North West   
			 Cheshire West No No 
			 Cheshire East and Chester No No 
			 Halton No No 
			 Knowsley No No 
			 Liverpool No No 
			 Sefton No No 
			 St. Helens No No 
			 Warrington No No 
			 Wirral Yes Yes 
			 Wyre Yes Yes 
			 Lancaster Yes Yes 
			 Fylde No No 
			 Blackpool No Yes 
			 Barrow-in-Furness No No 
			 Copeland No Yes 
			 South Lakeland No Yes 
			 Ribble Valley No Yes 
			 Preston No Yes 
			 Rossendale No Yes 
			 Blackburn with Darwen No Yes 
			 Pendle No Yes 
			 Hyndburn No No 
			 Burnley No Yes 
			 South Ribble No No 
			 Chorley No Yes 
			 West Lancashire No Yes 
			 Carlisle Yes Yes 
			 Eden No Yes 
			 Allerdale No Yes 
			 Bolton Yes Yes 
			 Oldham Yes Yes 
			 Tameside Yes Yes 
			 Manchester Yes Yes 
			 Trafford No Yes 
			 Salford No Yes 
			 Stockport No Yes 
			 Rochdale No Yes 
			 Bury No Yes 
			 Wigan No Yes 
			
			  (c) South West   
			 Bristol Yes Yes 
			 Banes No No 
			 South Gloucester Yes Yes 
			 North Somerset No No 
			 Cheltenham No No 
			 Cotswold Yes Yes 
			 Forest of Dean Yes Yes 
			 Gloucester City No No 
			 Stroud No No 
			 Tewkesbury No Yes 
			 Kennet No No 
			 North Wiltshire No No 
			 Salisbury Yes No 
			 West Wiltshire Yes No 
			 Swindon No No 
			 Cornwall No No 
			 Isles of Scilly No No 
			 Christchurch Yes Yes 
			 Bournemouth Yes Yes 
			 Poole Yes Yes 
			 West Dorset Yes Yes 
			 Weymouth and Portland Yes Yes 
			 North Dorset Yes Yes 
			 Purbeck Yes Yes 
			 Plymouth Yes Yes 
			 West Devon Yes Yes 
			 South Hams Yes Yes 
			 East Devon Yes Yes 
			 Exeter No No 
			 North Devon Yes Yes 
			 Teignbridge Yes Yes 
			 Mid Devon Yes Yes 
			 Torridge No Yes 
			 Torbay Yes Yes 
			 Mendip Yes Yes 
			 Sedgemoor No Yes 
			 Taunton Deane Yes Yes 
			 West Somerset Yes No 
			 South Somerset Yes Yes 
			 (1) Some of the former BAs which make up this unitary authority do, but not all

VAT

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what consultation HM Revenue and Customs undertook with businesses prior to the decision to phase out paper-based value added tax returns;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of posts in HM Revenue and Customs which will no longer be required as a result of the decision to phase out paper-based value added tax returns;
	(3)  whether HM Revenue and Customs assessed effects on costs of small businesses of the phasing out of paper-based value added tax returns.

Stephen Timms: In addition to consultations carried out as part of Lord Carter's review of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Online Services, published at Budget 2006, HMRC conducted a 12 week consultation-concluding on 3 July 2009-on the draft regulations to implement the phasing out of paper-based VAT returns.
	HMRC's estimate of the benefits from phasing out paper VAT returns is subject to periodic updating. The staff saving is currently estimated at 26 full-time equivalent staff posts, but this does not include certain areas where the business change effect is still being evaluated.
	Very small businesses that are already registered for VAT will not be affected by the proposal to phase out paper VAT returns from 1 April 2010, but any business registering on or after 1 April 2010 will not have the option of making paper based VAT returns. The Impact Assessment undertaken does not differentiate between different sized businesses.
	Research has shown that internet use is highest among new businesses and projections indicate that by 2010 internet usage among new businesses will be almost universal.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Trust: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding the Carbon Trust has provided  for (a) local authorities,  (b) NHS bodies,  (c) higher and further education institutions and  (d) other public bodies in (i) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and (ii) Bedfordshire in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: The Carbon Trust have advised me that at this time it is not possible to provide a comprehensive funding breakdown at a constituency level. However, the total value of carbon management and energy efficiency advice services provided by the Carbon Trust to the public sector in Bedfordshire to date is approximately £202,500, of which £37,500 was in the last 12 months.

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department  (a) he and  (b) officials of his Department (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: (a) There were no Christmas functions arranged by the Department that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State attended.
	 (b) This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Climate Change

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment the Government has made of the effects on climate change of  (a) black carbon and  (b) improvements in air quality.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 12 October 2009
	 Research reported in the intergovernmental panel on climate change's fourth assessment report suggest a small, but significant, total warming effect since 1750 from black carbon emitted into the atmosphere by fossil fuel (the main source), biofuel and biomass burning. This effect is estimated to be the equivalent of about one seventh of the total climate warming effect from long lived greenhouse gases. There is also an additional but smaller warming effect due to the deposition of black carbon on surface snow and ice. Recent work by the Met Office Hadley Centre, funded by DECC, suggests black carbon emissions have potentially the second largest warming influence on climate, after greenhouse gases.
	The Air Quality and Climate Change: A UK Perspective, 2007 report by the Air Quality Expert Group considered the effects of air pollutants on air quality and climate change. Improvements in air quality will have a complex influence on climate change, as some pollutants have a direct or indirect warming effect while aerosol emissions other than black carbon have a cooling effect.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Under-Secretary of State expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 16 June 2009, on climate change.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 15 October 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 23 October and apologise for the unacceptable delay.

Members: Correspondence

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons letters sent from Ministers in his Department to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak dated 5 March (ref. DM/117961) and 3 February 2009 (ref. PM/111604) were printed on one side of each sheet of paper only; if he will make it his Department's policy to use two-sided printing for its correspondence; and whether he has made an estimate of the potential savings in respect of paper use consequent on the implementation of such a policy.

Joan Ruddock: The Department uses duplex (two-sided) printers, and the default setting is for two-sided use. Following older convention, a proportion of letters from my Department has been sent single-sided. However, we are implementing a policy of all correspondence being printed on two-sided paper for the future. We estimate this will lead to a monthly saving of £10.50 in paper costs.

Monitor Group: Meetings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has had discussions with the Monitor Group.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 20 October 2009
	 No.

Power Failures: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with  (a) EDF Energy and  (b) Ofgem on the power cuts across Bexley and North West Kent in July 2009.

David Kidney: Officials from the Department were in regular contact with EDF Energy during the incident to track progress with supply restoration. Following the incident discussions are ongoing to assess compliance with statutory duties and to explore options to prevent a reoccurrence.
	Ofgem has informed officials about the impact on regulatory performance targets and the handling of compensation claims for the incident.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for each assumption underlying the determination in the Low Carbon Transition Plan that energy demand will remain at 370TWh in 2020.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The projections used in the Low Carbon Transition Plan are produced using the DECC Energy Model. This uses the latest assumptions of economic growth, fuel prices, estimated policy impacts and elasticities of demand.
	The energy demand of 370 TWh relates to electricity demand. In the baseline scenario, electricity demand is projected to increase by 53 TWh between now and 2020 but policies announced in the Low Carbon Transition Plan are estimated to save 54 TWh in 2020. These projections use economic growth assumptions consistent with the 2009 Budget and fossil fuel price assumptions published by DECC.
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/projections/projections.aspx

JUSTICE

Coroners: Armed forces

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for each member of the armed forces killed in action overseas in respect of whom the inquest has not started, when  (a) the body was repatriated and  (b) the inquest is expected to begin.  [Official Report, 14 January 2010, Vol. 503, c. 9-14MC.]

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the dates on which service personnel fatalities were repatriated, and the current position regarding the resumption of inquests which have been opened and adjourned pending service inquiries or other investigations. On 27 October my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Bill Rammell) and I will make the latest in the series of quarterly statements to the House about the inquests of service personnel and others who have died overseas.
	
		
			  Repatriation dates and inquest resumption dates where known for service personnel who (i) died on active service overseas or (ii) died in England of wounds sustained on active service overseas; and whose inquest resumption is pending. Inquests touching all these service personnel have been opened. 
			  Name of the deceased  Date of death  Date of repatriation  Inquest resumption date where this has been set 
			 Corporal Mike Gilyeat 30 May 2007 8.June 2007 27 October 2009 
			 Private Aaron McClure 23 August 2007 31 August 2007 (tbc). 12 September 2009 
			 Private Robert Foster 23 August 2007 31 August 2007 (tbc). 12 September 2009 
			 Private John Thrumble 23 August 2007 31 August 2007 (tbc). 12 September 
			 Aircraftsman Christopher Bridge 30 August 2007 7 September.2007 7-8 December 2009 
			 Lance Corporal Sarah Holmes 14 October 2007 L/Cpl Holmes died in England 3 November 2009 
			 Sergeant John Battersby 20 November 2007 26 November 2007 Inquest resumed 17 August 2009, adjourned  21 August 2009 to 7 September 12.09 
			 Trooper Lee Fitzsimmons 20 November 2007 26 November 2007 Inquest resumed 17 August 2009, adjourned 21 August 2009 to 7 September 2009 
			 Sergeant Lee Johnson 8 December 2007 17 December 2007 - 
			 Guardsman Stephen Ferguson 9 December 2007 Gdsmn Ferguson died in England - 
			 Senior Aircraftsman Graham Livingstone 13 April 20 08 18 April 20 08 10-11 November 2009 
			 Senior Aircraftsman Gary Thompson 13April 20 08 18 April 20 08 10-11 November 2009 
			 Trooper James Thompson 19 May 2008 26 May 2008 5 November 2009 
			 Corporal Sarah Bryant 17 June 2008 23 June 2008 - 
			 Corporal Sean Reeve 17 June 2008 23 June 2008 - 
			 Lance Corporal Richard Larkin 17 June 2008 23 June 2008 - 
			 Trooper Paul Stout 17 June 2008 23 June 2008 - 
			 Warrant Officer 2 Michael Williams 24 June 2008 30 June 2008 - 
			 Lance Corporal James Johnson 28 June 2008 7 July 2008 - 
			 Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe 24 July 2008 28 July 2008 12 November 2009 
			 Signaller Wayne Bland 11 August 2008 18 August 2008 - 
			 Ranger Justin James Cupples 4 September.2008 12 September.2008 18 November 2009 
			 Lance Corporal Nicky Mason 13 September.2008 19 September.2008 18 December 2009 
			 Lance Corporal David Wilson 4 December 2008 11 December 2008 - 
			 Corporal Lee Churcher 11 December 2008 17 December 2008 - 
			 Marine Damian Davies 12 December 2008 18 December 2008 - 
			 Sergeant John Manuel 12 December 2008 18 December 2008 - 
			 Corporal Marc Birch 12 December 2008 18 December 2008 - 
			 Lance Corporal Steven Jamie Fellows 12 December 2008 18 December 2008 - 
			 Lieutenant Aaron Lewis 15 December 2008 18 December 2008 - 
			 Rifleman Stuart Nash 17 December 2008 22 December 2008 - 
			 Corporal Robert Deering 21 December 2008 30 December 2008 - 
			 Serjeant Chris Reed 1 January 2009 7 January 2009 - 
			 Marine Travis Mackin 11 January 2009 20 January 2009 - 
			 Captain Tom Sawyer 14 January 2009 20 January 2009 - 
			 Corporal Danny Winter 14 January 2009 20 January 2009 - 
			 Acting Corporal Richard Robinson 17 January 2009 24 January 2009 - 
			 Corporal Daniel Nield 30 January 2009 3 February.09 - 
			 Private Ryan Wrathall 12 February 2009 19 February 2009 - 
			 Marine Darren Smith 14 February 2009 24 February - 
			 Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott 16 February 24 February 23 October 2009 
			 Marine Michael Laski 25. February Mne Laski died in England - 
			 Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett 14 March 2009 21 March 2009 - 
			 Corporal Dean John 15 March 2009 21 March 2009 - 
			 Corporal Graeme Stiff 15 March 2009 21 March 2009 - 
			 Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous 28 April 20 09 5 May 2009 - 
			 Corporal Sean Binnie 7 May 2009 13 May 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Adrian Sheldon 7 May 2009 13 May 2009 - 
			 Sergeant Ben Ross 7 May 2009 13 May 2009 27 November 2009 
			 Corporal Kumar Pun 7 May 2009 13 May 2009 27 November 2009 
			 Lieutenant Mark Evison 12 May 2009 Lt Evison died in England - 
			 Marine Jason Mackie 14 May 2009 22 May 2009 - 
			 Fusilier Petero Suesue 22 May 2009 29 May 2009 2 December 2009 
			 Sapper Jordan Rossi 23 May 2009 29 May 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal Robert Richards 27 May 2009 L/Cpl Richards died in England - 
			 Lance Corporal Kieron Hill 28 May 2009 1 June 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett 30 May 2009 5 June 2009 - 
			 Corporal Steven Bolger 30 May 2009 5 June 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher 2 June 2009 5 June 2009 - 
			 Private Robert McLaren 11 June 2009 16 June 2009 - 
			 Lieutenant Paul Mervis 12 June 2009 16 June 2009 - 
			 Major Sean Birchall 19 June 2009 26 June 2009 - 
			 Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thomeloe 1 July 2009 6 July 2009 - 
			 Trooper Joshua Hammond 1 July 2009 6 July 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal David Dennis 4 July 2009 10 July 2009 - 
			 Trooper Robert Laws 4 July 2009 10 July 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal Dane Elson 5 July 2009 10 July 2009 - 
			 Captain Ben Babington-Browne 6 July 2009 10 July 2009 - 
			 Trooper Christopher Whiteside 7 July 2009 10 July 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Daniel Hume 9 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Private John Brackpool 9 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Corporal Lee Scott 10 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Corporal Jonathan Home 10 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Rifleman William Aldridge 10 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Rifleman James Backhouse 10 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Joseph Murphy 10 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Daniel Simpson 10 July 2009 14 July 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Aminiasi Toge 16 July 2009 28 July 2009 - 
			 Corporal Joseph Etchells 19 July 2009 28 July 2009 - 
			 Captain Daniel Shepherd 20 July 2009 28 July 2009 - 
			 Guardsman Christopher King 22 July 2009 28 July 2009 - 
			 Bombardier Craig Hopson 25 July 2009 30 July 2009 - 
			 Trooper Philip Lawrence 27 July 2009 30 July 2009 - 
			 Warrant Officer 2 Sean Upton 27 July 2009 30 July 2009 - 
			 Craftsman Anthony Lombardi 4 August 2009 7 August 2009 - 
			 Corporal Kevin Mulligan 6 August 2009 13 August 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal Dale Hopkins 6 August 2009 13 August 2009 - 
			 Private Kyle Adams 6 August 2009 13 August 2009 - 
			 Private Jason Williams 8 August 2009 13 August 2009 - 
			 Captain Mark Hale 13 August 2009 18 August 2009 - 
			 Rifleman Daniel Wild 13 August 2009 18 August 2009 - 
			 Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton 13 August 2009 18 August 2009 - 
			 Sergeant Simon Valentine 15 August 2009 21 August 2009 - 
			 Private Richard Hunt 15 August 2009 Pte Hunt died in England - 
			 Lance Corporal James Fullarton 16 August 2009 21 August 2009 - 
			 Fusilier Simon Annis 16 August 2009 21 August 2009 - 
			 Fusilier Louis Carter 16 August 2009 21 August 2009 - 
			 Serjeant Paul McAleese 20 August 2009 27 August 2009 - 
			 Private Johnathon Young 20 August 2009 27 August 2009 - 
			 Fusilier Shaun Bush 25 August 2009 Fus Bush died in England - 
			 Sergeant Lee Houltram 29 August 2009 4 September 2009 - 
			 Sergeant Stuart Millar 31 August 2009 4 September 2009 - 
			 Private Kevin Elliott 31 August 2009 4 September 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal Richard Brandon 2 September 2009 10 September 2009 - 
			 Private Gavin Elliott 3 September 2009 10 September 2009 - 
			 Trooper Brett Hall 16 September 2009 Tpr Hall died in England - 
			 Corporal John Harrison 9 September 2009 17 September 2009 - 
			 Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman 13 September 2009 17 September 2009 - 
			 Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath 16 September 2009 24 September 2009 - 
			 Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett MC 21 September 2009 29 September 2009 - 
			 Private James Prosser 27 September 2009 1 October 2009 - 
			 Acting Corporal Marcin Wojtak 1 October 2009 9 October 2009 - 
			 Guardsman Jamie Janes 5 October 2009 9 October 2009 - 
			 Lance Corporal James Hill 8 October 2009 15 October 2009 -

Corruption

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date he expects to publish his Department's anti-corruption plan for 2009.

Jack Straw: The publication of a Foreign Bribery Strategy is expected before the end of the year.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, column 991W, on departmental electronic equipment, how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have spent on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment in the last three months.

Michael Wills: During the period in question, the Ministry had one main supplier for the provision of flat screen televisions, DVD players and stereo equipment. The contract for this supplier has been in place since October 2008. Prior to this, there had been one main supplier for such goods for the National Offender Management Service but this contract was not open to the wider MOJ for use. Since November 2008, the expenditure on these items with the current main supplier by the Ministry is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Flat Screen Televisions 139,676 
			 DVD Players and Recorders 11,358 
			 Stereo Equipment 3,648 
			 Total 154,682 
		
	
	This contract is available to MoJ headquarters and its executive agencies (HM Courts Service, Tribunals Service, the Office of The Public Guardian, and the National Offender Management Service). The figure may, however, be incomplete as some equipment may have been purchased outside of the contract using the Government Procurement Card (GPC). To investigate whether any flat screen televisions, DVD players or stereo equipment had been purchased with the GPC card would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 993-95W, on departmental electronic equipment, how much his Department, its predecessor and its agencies spent on  (a) flat screen televisions,  (b) DVD players and  (c) stereo equipment in the 2008-09 financial year.

Jack Straw: In 2008-09 the Department and its agencies spent the following amounts (excluding VAT):
	
		
			   £ 
			 Flat screen televisions 159,138 
			 DVD players 10,904 
			 Stereo equipment 21,853 
			 Total 191,895 
		
	
	These figures exclude HM Courts Service, where the information could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
	The significant increase in HQ expenditure in 2008-09 is a result of the refurbishment of the new consolidated building in 102 Petty France which has itself enabled £10 million savings as part of the MoJ Estates Strategy. The whole building was gutted, and re-fitted. In addition this is the first year that full information on these items has been available for NOMS expenditure.
	In collating the information to this response it has been brought to my attention that there were factual errors in the answer to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 30 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 994-96W.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Wills) will be writing to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge to correct these errors and will issue a corrected answer to be printed in the correction section of the  Official Report.
	I apologise for these errors and for the unacceptable delay in providing an answer to this question.

Gambling: Crime

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of offences under  (a) section 328,  (b) section 330 and  (c) section 331 of the Gambling Act 2005 since its entry into force.

Claire Ward: Sections 328, 330 and 331 of the 2005 Gambling Act came into force on 1 September 2007. No convictions under theses offences from 1 September to 31 December 2007 (latest published) have been reported to the Ministry of Justice.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.

Legal Aid

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the Legal Services Commission permits consortium bids for funding on social welfare cases.

Bridget Prentice: The Community Legal Services Strategy published in 2006 advocates a new approach of moving towards more integrated advice services that better reflect the way in which clients experience legal problems.
	In order for providers to move towards the objective of delivering integrated services, providers will be able to bid in consortia for the delivery of core Social Welfare Law (SWL) categories: debt, housing and welfare benefits. These core SWL categories were identified as being those that tend to be most interlinked when addressing clients' SWL problems. For example, a client facing eviction from a private landlord may also be experiencing debt and welfare benefits problems. In order to provide an efficient and effective service for this client, it is important that the provider from whom the client seeks advice is able to offer assistance across the range of problems that the client is experiencing.

Offences Against Children: Convictions

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of offences against children committed in  (a) schools,  (b) sports clubs and  (c) dental surgeries have received a custodial sentence of (i) between six months and two years and (ii) two years or more since 1979; and how many had previous convictions.

Claire Ward: Information held centrally by my Department does not hold specific information on offences beyond descriptions provided by the statutes under which prosecutions are brought; therefore the Ministry of Justice cannot identify all offences against children or if the offence was committed in a school, sports club or dental surgery.

Prison Accommodation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many additional prison places his Department plans to provide in each year between 2008 and 2015; and what the total prison capacity will be in each such year;
	(2)  when he expects work to start on each of the five 1,500 capacity prisons his Department has proposed as an alternative to Titan prisons; and what the annual capital cost of constructing them will be in each year to 2014-15.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice aims to increase capacity to 96,000 prison places by 2014 which includes delivering an additional 20,000 prison places through the Capacity Programme. The precise numbers and delivery timings will depend on construction schedules and prioritisation within the prisons estate.
	The procurement process for the five 1,500 capacity prisons, known as the New Prisons Programme, is already under way. An OJEU notice to establish a private finance initiative (PFI) framework for firms who could design, build and operate these prisons was published on 3 August 2009. We anticipate appointing up to seven firms onto the framework in spring next year with the first prison being operational in 2013. Under the design, build and operate contracts, National Offender Management Service, will not pay a capital cost for construction and operation, and will instead be charged a single revenue stream covering these elements for the full period of the PFI contracts. It is therefore not possible to identify the capital cost of construction. However, we estimate the total cost of the five new prisons to be in the region of £1.2 billion (at 2008-09 prices and excluding VAT and site purchase costs).

Prison Accommodation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated annual capital cost of his Department's plan for additional prison capacity is for each year to 2014-15.

Maria Eagle: The estimated annual capital costs for additional prison capacity for the current prison building programme (excluding the 1,500 place new prisons) for each year up to 2013-14 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Current forecast 
			   Capital (£ million) 
			 2009-10 410 
			 2010-11 280 
			 2011-12 307 
			 2012-13 0 
			 2013-14 0 
		
	
	The 8,500 programme and expansion measure programme is expected to finish in 2011-12. Further capacity will be provided by the New Prisons programme.

Prisoner Escapes

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving sentences for  (a) murder,  (b) attempted murder,  (c) rape and  (d) attempted rape are currently unlawfully at large having escaped or absconded from prison.  [Official Report, 14 January 2010, Vol. 503, c. 13-14MC.]

Jack Straw: The following table shows that there is only one offender currently unlawfully at large who was serving a sentence for any of the four index offences named. Data prior to the periods shown in the table are not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Absconds (which are from open prisons) and escapes (from closed prisons) have been falling for some years and 2008-09 recorded the lowest number of absconds and escapes on record. Tracking down prisoners unlawfully at large who may be a danger to the public is taken very seriously by the police and 96 per cent. of absconded prisoners are rearrested and returned to custody.
	
		
			  Prisoners still unlawfully at large in October 2009 following an escape or abscond and broken down by specific index offences 
			   Prisoners unlawfully at large with an index offence of: 
			   Murder  Attempted murder  Rape  Attempted rape 
			 Escapes since 1 April 1998 0 0 0 0 
			 Absconds since 1 April 2004 1 0 0 0

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of keeping a person in prison was  (a) in each year since 1997 and  (b) in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The average direct establishment cost of keeping a person in prison for the years since 1997 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average cost per prisoner 
			   £ 
			 2006-07 26,737 
			 2005-06 26,993 
			 2004-05 26,412 
			 2003-04 25,718 
			 2002-03 24,241 
			 2001-02 23,105 
			 2000-01 23,292 
			 1999-2000 21,751 
			 1998-99 20,502 
		
	
	For these years the average costs comprise the public sector establishments' direct resource expenditure as published in the Annual Report and Accounts of Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS).
	For the last two years (2008-09 and 2007-08) an overall cost per prisoner including prison related costs met by NOMS outside of HMPS has been calculated as follows:
	
		
			  Overall average cost per prisoner 
			   £ 
			 2008-09 41,000 
			 2007-08 39,000 
		
	
	The overall average costs comprise the public sector establishments' direct resource expenditure, increased by an apportionment of costs borne centrally by HMPS and the National Offender Management Service; and the resource expenditure of contracted-out prisons also increased by certain costs borne centrally. This involves some estimation. The figures do not include prisoners held in police and court cells under Operation Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (e.g. for health and education). The prisoner escort service is included.

Prisons

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the risk of disorder in prisons in England and Wales.

Maria Eagle: While major disorder within prisons is notoriously difficult to predict the National Offender Management Service does monitor routinely the stability of prisons both at local and national level.
	The latest assessment shows that, although roof climbs and other incidents at height have increased, other incidents relating to disorder such as concerted indiscipline, barricades, hostage taking and assaults, have not shown an overall increase and in some cases have decreased. Staff continue to perform an excellent job in maintaining control and order within prison establishments.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of levels of overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: At the end of September 2009, 24.1 per cent. of prisoners in England and Wales were held in overcrowded accommodation.
	It remains our priority to reduce overcrowding by increasing capacity through building new prisons, expanding existing prisons and making more effective use of the estate.

Road Traffic Offences

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of  (a) all traffic collisions and  (b) traffic collisions on motorways resulted in a criminal prosecution in the latest period for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: Information available on the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on offences involving vehicles does not identify the circumstances which resulted in a prosecution. A defendant might be proceeded against for an offence of careless driving, dangerous driving, driving while impaired by drink or drugs etc. Any of these offences might directly or indirectly have caused or helped cause a collision.
	While the Department for Transport monitors details of road traffic injury accidents this information is not linked with details of any subsequent prosecution.

Sentencing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced to immediate custody in each year since 1997; and how many received sentences of  (a) less than three months,  (b) between three and six months,  (c) between six and 12 months and  (d) one year or more.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people sentenced to immediate custody since 1997 
			  Sentence lengths  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Up to and including  3 months 35,054 39,427 43,059 41,585 40,884 42,542 40,754 39,707 37,100 34,712 34,427 
			 Over 3 months and up to and including  6 months 22,217 24,314 26,203 28,514 29.030 29,419 29,498 28,492 26,756 24.422 23,109 
			 Over  6 months and less than  12 months 5,808 5.963 5,573 6,419 6.337 6,590 6,038 6,346 6.462 6.401 6.779 
			 12 months or more including indeterminate sentences 30,762 30,862 30,488 29,669 30,022 33,056 31,380 31,777 30,918 30.482 30,891 
			 Total 93,841 100,566 105,323 106,187 106,273 111,607 107,670 106,322 101,236 96,017 95,206 
			  Notes: 1. Sentences of imprisonment for public protection introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on 4 April 2005 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	The data are presented on the principal offence basis: where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty was imposed: where the same sentence has been imposed for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
	This table has been taken from table 2.3 of 'Sentencing Statistics 2007' publication available at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	Data for 2008 will be published in January 2010.

Sentencing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were serving sentences of  (a) fewer than three months,  (b) between three and six months and  (c) between six and 12 months in 2009.

Maria Eagle: The following table gives the numbers of prisoners serving sentences of (i) less than or equal to three months, (ii) between three and six months, (iii) between six and 12 months, as at 30 June 2009, the latest date for which figures are available:
	
		
			   Less than or equal to 3 months  Greater than 3 months less than or equal to 6 months  Greater than 6 months less than 12 months 
			 Males and females 1,785 3,330 2,465 
		
	
	The figures are a reworking of those published in the Ministry of Justice monthly bulletin at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Television: Licensing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people per 10,000 of the population in Northern Ireland were prosecuted for non-payment of the television licence fee in 2008.

Bridget Prentice: In 2008, 5,272 people were prosecuted for non-payment of the television licence fee representing a rate of 30 per 10,000 of the population. 4,123 people were convicted and 1,149 cases were dismissed or withdrawn.

CABINET OFFICE

Unemployment: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley had been unemployed for more than (i) six and (ii) 12 months in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley had been unemployed for more than (i) six and (ii) 12 months in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. (295560)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age bands and geographies are not available. As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons, aged 16 to 24, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, in the requested geographies, for (a) over 6 months and (b) over 12 months in September 2009 and the previous 11 months.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons( 1)  aged 16 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance by duration of claim 
			   Bexleyheath and Crayford  Bexley 
			  Duration  Over six months  Over 12 months  Over six months  Over 12 months 
			 October 2008 25 5 70 20 
			 November 2008 25 0 65 15 
			 December 2008 25 5 65 15 
			 January 2009 30 5 85 20 
			 February 2009 35 5 110 20 
			 March 2009 45 5 140 20 
			 April 2009 65 5 170 20 
			 May 2009 70 5 185 20 
			 June 2009 80 5 190 20 
			 July 2009 80 5 190 20 
			 August 2009 105 5 250 25 
			 September 2009 110 10 260 30 
			 (1) Duration of claims is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7 per cent. of all claims.  Note: Data rounded to nearest 5.  Source: Jobcentreplus Administrative System

Unemployment: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in  (a) Peterborough city council area and  (b) Peterborough constituency had been unemployed for over (i) six and (ii) 12 months in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in  (a) Peterborough city council area and  (b) Peterborough constituency were unemployed in (i) May 1997 and (ii) in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in (a) Peterborough city council area and (b) Peterborough constituency had been unemployed for over (i) six and (ii) 12 months in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in (a) Peterborough city council area and (b) Peterborough constituency were unemployed in (i) May 1997 and (ii) in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. (295115  295116)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age bands and geographies are not available. As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons, aged 16 to 24, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, in the requested geographies, for (i) over 6 months and (ii) over 12 months in September 2009 and the previous 11 months. Table 2 contains the number of persons aged 16 to 24 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in the requested geographies for (i) May 1997 and (ii) September 2009 and the previous 11 months.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of people aged 16 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance in Peterborough city council area and Peterborough parliamentary constituency for over six months and 12 months 
			   Peterborough city council  Peterborough constituency 
			   Claiming over six months  Claiming over 12 months  Claiming over six months  Claiming over 12 months 
			 October 2008 110 5 75 5 
			 November 2008 80 5 55 5 
			 December 2008 95 5 65 5 
			 January 2009 105 5 70 5 
			 February 2009 115 5 75 5 
			 March 2009 145 5 90 5 
			 April 2009 160 10 95 5 
			 May 2009 205 10 135 5 
			 June 2009 220 10 150 5 
			 July 2009 205 10 140 5 
			 August 2009 270 10 175 5 
			 September 2009 315 15 210 10 
			  Notes: 1. Data has been rounded to the nearest five. 2. People claiming for over 12 months are included in the counts of people claiming for over six months.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of people aged 16 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance in Peterborough city council area and Peterborough parliamentary constituency 
			   Peterborough city council  Peterborough constituency 
			 May 1997 1,275 925 
			
			 October 2008 925 630 
			 November 2008 990 675 
			 December 2008 1,080 740 
			 January 2009 1,205 815 
			 February 2009 1,545 1,035 
			 March 2009 1,655 1,105 
			 April 2009 1,685 1,110 
			 May 2009 1,685 1,115 
			 June 2009 1,705 1,110 
			 July 2009 1,560 1,035 
			 August 2009 1,650 1,110 
			 September 2009 1,705 1,145 
			  Note: Data has been rounded to nearest five.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

Unemployment: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged between 16 and 24 had been unemployed in Leeds West constituency for over  (a) six and  (b) 12 months on the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged between 16 and 24 were unemployed in Leeds West constituency for over (a) six and (b) 12 months on the latest date for which figures are available. (295352)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age band and geography are not available. As an alternative, we have provided the number of persons, aged between 16 and 24, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in September 2009 for over (a) six months and (b) 12 months, from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	In September 2009 the number of persons aged between 16 and 24 claiming JSA resident in the Leeds West constituency for over (a) six months was 255 and (b) over 12 months was 25.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Young People: Jobseeker's Allowance

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for  (a) less than six months,  (b) between six and 12 months,  (c) between 12 months and two years and  (d) more than two years on the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for  (a) less then six months,  (b) between six and 12 months,  (c) between 12 months and two years and  (d) more than two years on the latest date for which figures are available. (294261)
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of computerised claims of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for people, aged 16 or over resident in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency on 10 September 2009, broken down by the duration of the claim.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.ca.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Claimants' of jobseeker ' s allowance resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency by duration of claim,  10 September 2009 
			  Duration  Number 
			 Up to 26 weeks 1,315 
			 Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks 395 
			 Over 52 weeks u p to 104 weeks 130 
			 Over 104 weeks 10 
			  Notes:  1. Data rounded to nearest 5.  2. Duration is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7 per cent. of all claims.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to accident and emergency departments in hospitals in  (a) Bassetlaw primary care trust and  (b) Nottinghamshire County Teaching primary care trust in the last three years for which figures are available; and how many such patients spent more than four hours in such departments following admission.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Accident and emergency (AE) data collected centrally are by provider and not by commissioning primary care trust (PCT). Data have therefore been set out in the following table for the relevant providers. For Nottinghamshire County PCT, the providers are Nottingham University Hospital National Health Service (NHS) Trust (from Quarter 2 2006-07), Queen's Medical Centre (part of Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust) (Quarter 1 2006-07 only), and Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For Bassetlaw PCT, the provider is Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust.
	These are the data submitted to the Department and subsequently published. We are aware of a review of the data at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, and therefore these data may change.
	
		
			  Total time spent in AE from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge, acute trusts in England, including activity at partner PCTs 
			 All AE/minor injuries units/walk-in centres (Type 1, 2, 3) 
			   Quarter  Name  Total attendances  Percentage of patients who spent less than four hours in AE  Breaches 
			 2009-10 1 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,810 98.3 688 
			 2008-09 4 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 37,078 98.7 468 
			 2008-09 3 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 37,365 98.3 633 
			 2008-09 2 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,203 98.3 647 
			 2008-09 1 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,763 98.5 615 
			 2007-08 4 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 36,422 97.6 871 
			 2007-08 3 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 37,181 97.8 800 
			 2007-08 2 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,139 98.4 610 
			 2007-08 1 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,513 98.3 668 
			 2006-07 4 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 36,909 98.3 641 
			 2006-07 3 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 37,212 99.3 256 
			 2006-07 2 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,771 98.5 615 
			 2006-07 1 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 39,416 98.1 760 
			   
			 2009-10 1 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 71,083 99.3 470 
			 2008-09 4 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 64,740 98.8 747 
			 2008-09 3 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 63,765 97.5 1,589 
			 2008-09 2 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 63,822 98.8 769 
			 2008-09 1 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 66,415 98.3 1,153 
			 2007-08 4 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 61,702 97.1 1,811 
			 2007-08 3 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 61,884 97.9 1,307 
			 2007-08 2 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 63,755 98.7 831 
			 2007-08 1 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 65,727 99.0 631 
			 2006-07 4 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 62,153 97.1 1,772 
			 2006-07 3 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 61,294 97.1 1,800 
			 2006-07 2 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 62,918 97.7 1,437 
			 2006-07 1 Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 62,339 97.7 1,428 
			   
			 2009-10 1 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 25,631 97.7 590 
			 2008-09 4 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 23,807 98.2 438 
			 2008-09 3 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 24,066 97.8 523 
			 2008-09 2 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 25,063 98.3 434 
			 2008-09 1 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 25,968 98.3 432 
			 2007-08 4 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 24,426 97.4 642 
			 2007-08 3 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 24,327 98.4 390 
			 2007-08 2 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 25,895 98.2 464 
			 2007-08 1 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 26,009 98.9 279 
			 2006-07 4 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 24,991 96.7 819 
			 2006-07 3 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 25,375 98.4 411 
			 2006-07 2 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 26,888 98.3 455 
			 2006-07 1 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 27,113 98.8 317 
			  Notes:  1. Mapped data for each hospital has been provided. Any treatment provided by PCT-managed minor injuries units and walk-in centres are mapped to the relevant Type 1 (Major AE) Unit.  2. Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust also has a Type 1 AE Department at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, which is based within Doncaster PCT.  3. Nottingham University Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre are based in Nottingham City PCT, not within Nottinghamshire County PCT.   Source:  Department of Health dataset QMAE.

Carers: Derbyshire

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carers are registered in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire.

Phil Hope: Carers may register with a range of organisations for different purposes-there is no single register as such.
	The number of carers who care for a person aged 18 and over who are offered a carer's assessment or review during the year (1 April to 31 March) is collected annually from councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities on the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care returns. Provisional data for 2008-09 were published in September.
	8,700 carers in Derbyshire county council and 1,700 carers in Derby unitary authority were offered an assessment or review in 2008-09.

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department and its agencies  (a) the then Secretary of State,  (b) officials of his Department and  (c) officials of its agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The then Secretary of State attended the annual Christmas drinks arranged by the Department for journalists on 16 December 2008. The Department did not host any other official Christmas functions last year. Information about functions hosted by agencies is not held centrally.

Continuing Care

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) in total and  (b) per 50,000 of the population received continuing care in each primary care trust area in England in each quarter of 2008.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Mr. Mike O'Brien) on 9 September 2009,  Official Report, columns 1979-984W.

Dental Services

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of people in  (a) Bolton and  (b) England who have access to an NHS dentist.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of patients seen by an national health service dentist in the previous 24 months as a percentage of the population is available in Table E4 of Annex 3 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008/09' report. Information is provided by primary care trust and strategic health authority in England and is available at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 June 2009.
	This report, published on 19 August 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809

Dental Services

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) the Minister,  (b) his advisers and  (c) officials of his Department saw the notes of the visits by the Chief Dental Officer or his representatives to (i) maxillofacial and (ii) dental hospitals which were subsequently used in the production of the report by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board on oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Ann Keen: As the report indicated, the terms of the review did not extend to formal reporting on the visits. Departmental officials who were members of the review group have seen any notes taken. The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board is an independent regulatory body.

Dental Services: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were providing NHS services in Leeds West constituency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The numbers of dentists with national health service activity during the year ending 31 March 2009 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008/09' report. Information is provided for England and by strategic health authority and primary care trust, but is not available by constituency. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. This report, published on 19 August 2009, has been placed in the Library and is also available on The Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes any previously published work force figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	These published figures relate to a headcount and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.

Departmental Advertising

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on advertising  (a) in the printed press,  (b) on television and  (c) on radio in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the Department's spend on press, television and radio advertising in each of the last three complete financial years.
	It should be noted that the figures will not cover the Department's complete spend on advertising as other media (posters, cinema, online) will also have been used during the period.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Press advertising  Regional press advertising  Television advertising  Radio advertising 
			 2006-07 3,800,000 780,000 11,050,000 3,530,000 
			 2007-08 4,080,000 850,000 10,250,000 3,160,000 
			 2008-09 10,710,000 1,170,000 23,730,000 5,100,000 
			  Notes: 1. Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, COI commission and VAT). 2. These figures do not include the Departments recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000 and all sums have been rounded to the nearest £10,000. 3. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by NHS organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that these figures reflect central departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed.  Source: Central Office of Information (COI)

Departmental Energy

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has a strategy for voltage optimisation in its estate.

Phil Hope: The Department is currently sourcing voltage optimiser products for use within departmental buildings as part of our sustainable development measures to reduce energy consumption.

Elderly: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of people aged 75 years and over who have a disability or limiting long-term illness in  (a) Leeds West constituency and  (b) the city of Leeds.

Phil Hope: Data on the number of people aged 75 years and over who have a disability or limiting long-term illness are not collected centrally.
	Data on the number of people receiving social services funded either fully or partially by councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) in England are collected and published by the Information Centre for health and social care as part of the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) return. Provisional data for 2008-09 was published in September 2009.
	During the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, the number of adults aged 65 and over with physical disabilities, frailty or a sensory impairment receiving a social care service funded either partly or wholly by their CASSR following a community care assessment by Leeds city council was 10,060.
	Data are not centrally available at constituency level.
	 Source:
	The Information Centre for health and social care.

Health Service Commissioner: Public Service

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Health Service Ombudsman is unable to investigate matters relating to public service personnel.

Ann Keen: Personnel matters are a specific exemption under the Ombudsman's legislation: section 7(1) of the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993, and paragraph 10(1) of schedule 3 of the Parliamentary Commissioners Act 1967.

Health Services: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and  (b) local authorities will be expected to provide towards the proposed new regime of free care for the elderly.

Phil Hope: The commitment to offer free personal care at home to those with the highest needs is expected to cost up to £670 million per full year. The Government, through the Department of Health, will provide the bulk of this funding (an estimated £420 million per full year) for this historic first step towards a national care service. However, it is right that councils play their part alongside central Government. The remainder of the funding will come from efficiencies in local government which has already delivered £1.764 billion in 2008-09, is due to have delivered at least £3.2 billion by the end of 2009-10, with a target to deliver £5.5 billion over the comprehensive spending review period.

Health Services: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2238W, on health services: Travelling people, what benefits he expects Travellers to receive as a consequence of the Friends, Families and Travellers scheme.

Phil Hope: The Department's funding for the Friends, Families and Travellers scheme is expected to support better access to healthcare for Travellers by establishing three centres of regional excellence in the South East, East of England and South West. Working in partnership with Gypsy and Traveller communities, the national health service and other stakeholders, the centres will help develop and deliver better services for Gypsies and Travellers and enable their good practice to be spread to other regions.

Health Visitors: Training

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mechanisms are for funding of training health visitors; and how much such funding is being provided by  (a) the Government and  (b) private sources in 2009-10.

Ann Keen: Health visitor training is funded from the £4.6 billion multi-professional education and training budget (MPET) allocated to strategic health authorities (SHAs) and is commissioned by SHAs. Within the overall MPET resources allocated, it is a matter for each SHA to determine their own priorities including how much is spent on post-registration training commissions for health visitors. Under the current service level agreement with SHAs, each SHA is expected to provide for investment in training commissions based on long term workforce need and local financial plans.
	Information on how much funding is being provided for health visitor training from private sources in 2009-10 is not held centrally.

Incontinence: Children

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has made for children's continence services in the next five years.

Ann Keen: The Department has not made specific new plans for children's continence services.
	The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (the NSF) included guidance on the importance of joined up continence services for children and young people.
	In October 2007 the Department published a Continence Exemplar. This was one in a series of exemplar journeys (patient pathways), illustrating key themes in the NSF and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_079004
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Infectious Diseases: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of  (a) clostridium difficile and  (b) MRSA infection in (i) Bassetlaw primary care trust and (ii) Nottinghamshire County Teaching primary care trust was in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of Clostridium difficile infections, broken down by requested primary care trust (PCT) level, is available since 2007-08 and has been set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Clostridium difficile 
			   Number of cases  Rate per 100,000 population 
			  Bassetlaw PCT   
			 2007-08 52 47.6 
			 2008-09 49 44.8 
			  Nottinghamshire County PCT   
			 2007-08 820 127 
			 2008-09 452 70 
			 So urce:  Health Protection Agency 
		
	
	Data on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections have published at acute trust level only. The information is therefore not available in the format requested. Data for the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust have been set out in the following table.
	
		
			  MRSA bacteraemia 
			   Number of cases  Rate per 100,000 population 
			  Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust   
			 2006-07 44 1.66 
			 2007-08 36 1.43 
			 2008-09 31 1.24 
			  Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust   
			 2006-07 26 0.77 
			 2007-08 26 0.77 
			 2008-09 13 0.39 
			  Notes: 1. No acute trust headquarters are located in Bassetlaw PCT. However, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is located in Nottinghamshire Country Teaching PCT. Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust is located in Doncaster PCT. 2. Services at Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust are mainly commissioned by Doncaster PCT.  Source:  Health Protection Agency

Mental Health: Prisoners

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisoners in each strategic health authority region have been transferred to a secure mental health unit in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: The quarterly regional Prison Health Performance and Quality Indicators introduced in 2007-08, provide information about transfers of prisoners requiring inpatient treatment for mental disorder. Prior to this period, information is available on a quarterly basis but is not broken down by health authority regions.
	
		
			  Total numbers of transfers under all sections of the Mental Health Act 1983 per quarter 
			   Q uarter  1  Q uarter  2  Q uarter  3  Q uarter  4  Total 
			 2005-06 285 277 315 266 1,143 
			 2006-07 300 313 341 264 1,218 
			 2007-08 296 300 319 280 1,195 
			 2008-09 342 307 335 294 1,278 
			 2009-10 320 - - - - 
		
	
	Data covering the year 2007-08 are incomplete. Complete information broken down by strategic health authority regions and Wales for the year 2008-09 is in the following table.
	
		
			  Transfers under all sections of the Mental Health Act by strategic health authority 2008-09 
			  Region  Q uarter  1  Q uarter  2  Q uarter  3  Q uarter  4  Total 
			 North East 21 13 11 11 56 
			 Yorks and Humber 34 19 32 30 115 
			 North West 43 37 44 40 164 
			 East Midlands 28 24 27 16 95 
			 West Midlands 25 18 22 23 88 
			 Eastern 17 26 30 34 107 
			 London 85 79 81 71 316 
			 South East 46 51 54 47 198 
			 South West 34 27 27 13 101 
			 Wales 9 13 7 9 38 
			 Total 342 307 335 294 1,278

Mental Health: Prisoners

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken since the publication of Lord Bradley's review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system to improve the identification of mental health problems or learning disabilities among prisoners on their reception into prison.

Phil Hope: Lord Bradley made 82 recommendations, many of which Lord Bradley himself recognised needed further work to ensure that all implications are considered for children, young people and adults. The Government have accepted the direction set out in the report and has committed to report to Parliament on the progress made by the end of October.
	A Health and Criminal Justice National Programme Board has been fully operational since June 2009 bringing together senior officials in the key Departments (Department of Health, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Department for Children, Schools and Families). The Programme Board has been meeting monthly to pull together a national delivery plan and ensure appropriate cross-government representation and engagement as actions are being developed.
	The first objective of the Programme Board has been to develop a national delivery plan that will set out our shared vision for improving health and social care services for all those in touch with the criminal justice system including reviewing arrangements for reception for those entering prison. The newly established Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board have been working hard to ensure that all the Bradley recommendations are fully incorporated into this cross-government plan.
	Ministers are due to report to parliament by the end of this month on progress in this regard.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) Members of the House of Lords,  (c) patient groups and  (d) clinicians on treatment and care for people diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); what his policy on such care and treatment is; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Since the beginning of the 2008-09 parliamentary year, the Department has received four parliamentary questions and at least 25 items of correspondence relating to myelodysplastic syndromes. Of these, 15 were from hon. Members, one from a Member of the House of Lords and nine from members of the public.
	The 2003 Improving Outcomes in Haematological Cancers guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) sets out recommendations about the care and treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), with the emphasis on symptom control and supportive treatment.
	It is for the national health service locally to implement this guidance. Good progress has been made and the National Cancer Action Team continue to work with the NHS at a local level to ensure full implementation.
	NICE is currently appraising azacitidine for the treatment of MDS, and currently expects to publish final guidance on this drug in May 2010.

NHS: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1169-72W, on NHS: finance, how much each loan was for; when each loan was taken out; and how much is expected to be repaid in respect of each loan.

Mike O'Brien: The Department makes loans to national health services trusts and national health service foundation trusts. The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Patient Choice Schemes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take for implementing a patient's right to make choices about their health-care through statutory directions to primary care trusts; and whether those directions will be published.

Mike O'Brien: The primary care trusts 'Choice of Secondary Care Provider Directions 2009' were published alongside the NHS Constitution on 21 January 2009 and came into effect on 1 April 2009. The directions place a number of new duties on primary care trusts, including a duty to make arrangements to ensure that patients who need an elective referral are offered a choice of any clinically appropriate provider. The directions have been placed in the Library.

Prescription Drugs: Licensing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts on making decisions about the post-licence use of new medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Government have issued a statutory funding direction which, unless it has been amended or waived for a specific treatment, requires national health service organisations to make funding available for treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) within three months of publication of final technology appraisal guidance.
	New statutory directions were issued to primary care trusts and NHS trusts concerning decisions about medicines and other treatments where there is no positive NICE recommendation. These came into force on 1 April 2009 and are supported by guiding principles and good practice guidance.

Prescription Drugs: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of  (a) all medicines dispensed and  (b) medicines dispensed to patients aged 60 years and over by the NHS in North Yorkshire and York was in each year since 1996-97.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. Information showing the net ingredient cost of medicines dispensed via an FP10 prescription in primary care within the North Yorkshire and York primary care trust for the period September 2004 to August 2009 is shown in the following table.
	The cost of medicines dispensed for patients aged 60 years and over is not available.
	
		
			  Information showing the net ingredient cost of medicines dispensed via an FPI0 prescription in primary care within the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust for the period September 2004 to August 2009 
			   Number of items ( Thousand )  Net ingredient cost (£000)  Average net ingredient cost per item (£) 
			 September 2004 914 9,942 10.88 
			 October 2004 947 9,976 10.54 
			 November 2004 942 10,067 10.69 
			 December 2004 976 10,577 10.83 
			 January 2005 871 9,496 10.90 
			 February 2005 824 8,586 10.42 
			 March 2005 925 9,647 10.44 
			 September 2004 to March 2005 6,398 68,291 10.67 
			 
			 April 2005 940 9,522 10.13 
			 May 2005 911 9,223 10.12 
			 June 2005 968 9,798 10.12 
			 July 2005 925 9,227 9.97 
			 August 2005 942 9,452 10.03 
			 September 2005 967 9,811 10.15 
			 October 2005 1,020 10,099 9.90 
			 November 2005 1,004 10,096 10.06 
			 December 2005 993 10,242 10.31 
			 January-2006 935 9,652 10.32 
			 February 2006 881 9,096 10.32 
			 March 2006 1,011 10,273 10.16 
			 Total for year 2005-06 11,498 116,492 10.13 
			 
			 April 2006 892 9,087 10.19 
			 May 2006 972 9,901 10.19 
			 June 2006 999 10,092 10.11 
			 July 2006 945 9,723 10.29 
			 August 2006 977 10,103 10.34 
			 September 2006 955 9,884 10.35 
			 October 2006 1,018 9,707 9.53 
			 November 2006 1,064 10,067 9.46 
			 December 2006 998 9,686 9.70 
			 January 2007 1,023 10,135 9.91 
			 February 2007 916 9,088 9.93 
			 March 2007 1,022 10,200 9.98 
			 Total for year 2006-07 11,780 117,674 9.99 
			 
			 April 2007 961 9,777 10.18 
			 May 2007 1,033 10,498 10.16 
			 June 2007 1,006 10,280 10.22 
			 July 2007 1,027 10,184 9.92 
			 August 2007 1,046 10,395 9.94 
			 September 2007 963 9,615 9.98 
			 October 2007 1,145 10,350 9.04 
			 November 2007 1,091 9,966 9.13 
			 December 2007 1,025 9,540 9.31 
			 January 2008 1,060 9,857 9.30 
			 February 2008 996 9,369 9.41 
			 March 2008 989 9,238 9.34 
			 Total for year 2007-08 12,341 119,069 9.65 
			 
			 April 2008 1,074 10,045 9.35 
			 May 2008 1,065 9,942 9.34 
			 June 2008 1,035 9,671 9.35 
			 July 2008 1,114 10,414 9.35 
			 August 2008 1,030 9,699 9.42 
			 September 2008 1,066 10,034 9.42 
			 October 2008 1,231 11,269 9.16 
			 November 2008 1,057 9,768 9.24 
			 December 2008 1,175 10,990 9.35 
			 January 2009 1,082 10,136 9.37 
			 February 2009 1,005 9,517 9.47 
			 March 2009 1,109 10,124 9.13 
			 Total for year 2008-09 13,041 121,608 9.32 
			 
			 April 2009 1,113 10,150 9.12 
			 May 2009 1,087 10,044 9.24 
			 June 2009 1,142 10,520 9.21 
			 July 2009 1,184 11,088 9.37 
			 August 2009 1,064 9,930 9.33 
			 April 2009 to August 2009 5,590 51,732 9.25 
			 Total September 2004 to August 2009 60,649 594,866 9.81 
			  Notes:  1. Data have been supplied by financial year 2005-06 to 2008-09. Only the last 60 months data are available; therefore data prior to September 2004 are not available. September to December data are available for 2004. March to August data are available for 2009-10.  2. NHS Prescription Services (RxS) is responsible for the reimbursement and remuneration of dispensing contractors in England on behalf of the Department of Health. NHS RxS captures prescription items submitted by dispensing contractors for reimbursement and remuneration purposes.  3. North Yorkshire and York has been defined as the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT).  4. On 1 October 2006 four PCTs, Hambelton and Richmondshire PCT, Craven Harrogate and Rural District PCT, Scarborough, Whitby and Rydale PCT and Selby and York PCT merged to form North Yorkshire and York PCT. The data provided prior to October 2006 have been collated from these PCTs and have been structured in line with current PCT arrangements.  5. The data are based on England community dispensing (not prescribing) data only. These may include items prescribed in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man which have been dispensed in England. The data exclude items prescribed in England but dispensed in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man.  6. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in prisons, hospitals, including mental health trusts, walk-in centres or private prescriptions but do include prison and hospital prescriptions which are dispensed in the community.  7. Prescriptions are written/printed on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.  8. The net ingredient cost is the basic price of a drug prior to discount being deducted (where applicable) as stated in Part II Clause 8 of the Drug Tariff for England and Wales (www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/edt_intro.htm). It excludes dispensing fees, container allowances and other fees paid to contractors.  9. The average net ingredient cost per item for North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust has fallen significantly between September 2004 and August 2009. This follows the downward trend in the national average net ingredient cost over the same period.  Prescription exemption data.  10. When determining payment to contractors, it is only necessary for NHS RxS to determine whether:  a prescription charge has been collected; or  a patient has completed a declaration of exemption, when a declaration is required.  Up until November 2007, NHS RxS determined and recorded the exemption category on every 20th form that is exempt from the prescription charge. The data were recorded from the tick-box shown on the reverse of FP10 prescription forms, and where appropriate from the age or date of birth printed on the front of the form. This relied on the form to be clear and completed correctly which may not have always been the case.  11. The information from the sample of prescription forms informed the Department of Health of the frequency of claims for exemption from prescription charges in each exemption category.  12. Due to the method applied when sampling exemption data, this information can only be viewed as an estimate of the number of products issued for patients within an exemption category and is not statistically valid when applied to individual PCT's.  13. From December 2007 NHS RxS changed the processes for pricing prescriptions and for capturing prescription charge exemption status. Therefore NHS RxS cannot reliably estimate the data for each exemption category relating to the age of the patient from this date.  14. The processes for capturing information during the reimbursement and remuneration processes undertaken formerly by the Prescription Pricing Authority, and latterly by NHS RxS, were designed to allow an analysis of trends in prescribing and dispensing patterns. However, tighter statistical governance requirements and greater scrutiny of the level of accuracy and precision of data within the NHS suggest that it would be inappropriate to provide exemption category data in detail.  Source:  National Health Service RxS Information System.

Psychiatry: Regulation

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received representations on the rejection by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy of the proposed statutory regulation of psychotherapy and counselling by the Health Professions Council.

Ann Keen: The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has not made any direct representations but has copied officials into their response to the Health Professions Council's (HPC) consultation on its proposals for statutory regulation. We understand that BACP raised concerns about whether HPC are the most appropriate body to regulate psychotherapists and counsellors. The consultation closed on 16 October and HPC are expected to provide a report on the consultation and draw up final proposals by the end of this year.

Rare Conditions: Medical Treatments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's end-of-life criteria on patient access to treatments for rare conditions aimed at extending life; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We have made no such assessment. The application of the explicit end-of-life flexibilities to individual appraisals is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an independent body.
	The application of this flexibility, along with patient access schemes, have resulted in positive NICE guidance on a number of treatments including Sutent for renal cell carcinoma and Revlimid for multiple myeloma.

Swine Flu

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue a public health warning on the risk of transmission of swine flu arising from kissing, including a two-cheek greeting; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department will not be issuing a public health warning.
	We have consistently advised that symptomatic people should stay at home while ill to avoid infecting others.
	People can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of spreading influenza by routinely adopting high standards of personal and respiratory hygiene.
	Those who are not symptomatic should continue their normal activities.
	To keep the public informed, in May this year, we ran a mass public health campaign with print, television and radio adverts. The adverts warned the public about swine flu and reminded people to practice good respiratory hand hygiene, that is, to cover their noses and mouths with tissues when they cough and sneeze and then throw the tissue away and wash their hands.
	There will also be a further respiratory hand hygiene campaign beginning at the end of October and running through to February 2010.

Thalidomide Trust

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Ministers in his Department last met trustees of the Thalidomide Trust.

Mike O'Brien: I met with the National Advisory Council to the Thalidomide Trust on 22 October 2009.

Treatment Centres and Hospitals

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the performance of  (a) independent sector treatment centres and  (b) NHS hospitals in undertaking emergency medical procedures.

Mike O'Brien: Independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) provide elective care, not emergency care.
	ISTCs have procedures in place to respond to complications, including arrangements with a local national health service trust in case of an unforeseen emergency.
	As part of performance monitoring of ISTCs there is a key performance indicator included in the contracts, which sets out the performance criteria on the transfer activity of patients. This activity is reviewed by the primary care trust (PCT) Commissioner at a Joint Service Review between the provider, commissioner and key stakeholders, undertaken quarterly to assess the performance of ISTCs.
	PCTs commission and contract with NHS hospital trusts to provide emergency care services according to local needs. They are responsible for monitoring the performance of those trusts. The Department has set a national standard that patients should not wait more than four hours in accident and emergency departments from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. National annual performance against the standard was 98.1 per cent. in 2008-09 and national performance in quarter 1 of 2009-10 was 98.6 per cent. 98 per cent. achievement against the standard is regarded as a success. The 2 per cent. margin allows some patients to remain longer in accident and emergency where there is a clinical need to do so.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Aerospace Industry

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships there are in  (a) the aerospace industry and  (b) those parts of the (i) Eurofighter and (ii) Airbus consortia operating in England.

Kevin Brennan: Information is not available to identify the total number of apprentices in the categories asked for. Data can only reliably be presented down to levels such as apprenticeship frameworks to which the aerospace industry would be a relatively small component in categories such as engineering and IT.
	Information about companies providing apprenticeships is not currently available centrally. From 1 August 2009 we have begun to collect standardised data on the employer with whom the apprentice is placed. This is a new requirement of providers, primarily to assess trends in employer engagement by sector rather than to identify activity at the individual employer level where corporate structures, especially for large organisations, can make such analysis extremely difficult. We expect to review the quality and relevance of the data when sufficient volume of data are available and subject to confidentiality rules consider whether it can be published on a regular basis.

Broadband

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of people living in  (a) the City of Sunderland and  (b) England who have access to broadband internet at home.

Stephen Timms: This Department has not made a recent estimate of the number of homes with broadband access in Sunderland and does not have available information on broadband at home at nation level. Over 99 per cent. of all telephone exchanges in the UK are now broadband enabled, including those in the Sunderland area. Reception of reliable broadband may depend on factors such as distance from the exchange and other factors such as interference from home wiring.

Broadband: Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase access to broadband coverage in  (a) Mid Sussex constituency and  (b) West Sussex.

Stephen Timms: We have recently set up the Network Design and Procurement Company as we pledged to do in the Digital Britain report. The company will be responsible for procuring the upgrade and replacement works to deliver the Universal Service Commitment (USC) for 2Mbps to virtually every community by 2012 and, in due course, the administration of the Next Generation Fund outlined in the Digital Britain White Paper.
	On take-up of broadband and digital inclusion the Government have also appointed Martha Lane Fox as our digital inclusion champion. Her role will be to find ways of helping people without previous experience of computers to develop the skills needed to make use of the internet in order to take advantage of the benefits it offers.

Business: Government Assistance

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications have been  (a) received and  (b) granted for funding from the £100 million Government support scheme made available for small and medium-sized enterprises in Budget 2009 to improve their energy efficiency.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	After applying the Barnett formula, £83.9 million of the £100 million funding announced at Budget 2009 was allocated to the Carbon Trust by Department of Energy and Climate Change for loans to SMEs in England in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	The Carbon Trust informs me that they have received 746 applications for this funding, of which 623 have been approved. This amounts to £18.1 million in loan commitments in England since April, more than double the volume of loans offered at this point in the last financial year.

Business: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Leeds North West have gone into administration in each year since 1997.

Ian Lucas: Statistics covering administrations are not currently available at sub-national level within England and Wales.

Correspondence

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason the letter sent from Lord Davies of Abersoch to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak dated 12 October 2009, ref JB/148761, was printed on only one side of paper; if he will make it his Department's policy to use two-sided printing for its correspondence; and whether he has made an estimate of the potential effects on his Department's level of paper use consequent on the implementation of such a policy.

Patrick McFadden: The vast majority of printers in use on the BIS estate are provided by our IT supplier as part of overall desktop services and the main infrastructure contract covering this provision has been in place for 10 years. Many of the printers supplied to the Department will be 'user configurable', as is the choice of which particular printer to use.
	The Department is very conscious of the fact that the 'cost of print' offers many opportunities for efficiencies, both in the level of paper used and the corresponding cost of toners used. Aside from cost, there are also carbon footprint issues that can be addressed and the Department is fully committed to seeking efficiencies in both. As such, we already have a commitment to make more efficient use of printers. Staff are encouraged to use the double-sided printing option wherever possible and not to use colour printers as their default printer when colour is not required. Similarly, we encourage all staff to make better use of the Department's internal reprographics services where this is appropriate to ensure that both printing and copying are undertaken in the most efficient way.
	Going forward, the Department will be looking at options to audit our overall cost of print, ways in which printers are deployed across the estate, and the types that are used, so that we are better able to mandate particular usage.

Departmental Internet

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of maintaining and updating its Twitter account; and how many staff are responsible for updating the account.

Patrick McFadden: The estimated costs of staff time in maintaining and updating the @bisgovuk Twitter account are £3,175 a year. The task is the shared responsibility of the Department's Digital Communications team as part of their overall range of duties and the total effort is estimated as half an hour per day. No staff are assigned to Twitter work specifically.

Digital Technology: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made towards establishment of an independently produced guiding technical arbitration on the cost of 900 spectrum refarming paid for by an industry fund.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 16 October 2009
	This work is now complete. The Independent Spectrum Broker has submitted his final report and this will be published as part of a consultation on a direction to the independent regulator, Ofcom, shortly.

Employment: EC Law

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions  (a) the Secretary of State and  (b) the Minister for Employment Relations have had with the Prime Minister on the date for implementation of the EU Agency Workers Directive.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State and I discuss a range of employment issues with the Prime Minister from time to time. The Prime Minister has made clear his commitment to legislate on the implementation of the Agency Workers Directive in the current Parliament.

Employment: EC Law

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish a response to his Department's consultation paper of May 2009 on the implementation of the EU Agency Workers Directive.

Patrick McFadden: The Government's response, which included a consultation on draft regulations, was published on 15 October; copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Energy: Electronic Equipment

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to  (a) discourage manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment from making devices which can only function if left switched on permanently and  (b) require such manufacturers to provide information to prospective purchasers on the energy consumption of their products.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	The G8 summit in Gleneagles in June 2005 undertook to promote the International Energy Agency's One Watt initiative as part of a package of measures designed to reduce carbon emissions in the home. The UK remains fully committed to this and played a major role in bringing into force the EU Ecodesign requirements for standby and off power mode for electrical and electronic household and office equipment. This Regulation comes into force on 7 January 2010.
	The Government work through the EU to agree energy labels for individual products under the Energy Labelling Framework Directive. The Directive is currently being amended to increase the scope in line with the recently revised Ecodesign Directive to include energy related products, and non-domestic as well as domestic products. The Energy Labelling Directive requires manufacturers to provide labels, and for retailers to display them to enable consumers to make informed choices about the relative energy efficiency of products covered by implementing measures. Further, in the UK the Energy Saving Trust endorses the best products in class through its Energy Saving Recommended logo.

European Fighter Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the number of jobs which will be  (a) maintained and  (b) created as a consequence of Tranche 3 Typhoon project.

Ian Lucas: The Department's analysis is that a minimum of 8,600 jobs should be directly sustained in the UK by the commitment to Tranche 3 of the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement.

Export Credit Guarantees: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies in Leeds West constituency have taken up support from the Export Credits Guarantee Scheme in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: There have been no companies who have taken up support directly from ECGD since 2001 from the Leeds West Constituency. ECGD may have supported some companies that were subcontractors but this information is unknown to us.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to note 37 to the Export Credits Guarantee Department resource accounts for 2008-09, the annual accounts for First Securitisation Company Limited, published in June 2009, and the most recent annual returns of Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc and First Securitisation Company Limited, what the ownership structure is of Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc.

Ian Lucas: The Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc is owned by two charitable trust companies, First Securitisation Company Limited (FSCL) and Capita IRG Trustees Limited. The Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc has issued 50,000 £1 shares and, of these, FSCL holds 49,999 and Capita IRG Trustees Limited holds one.

Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the accounts of Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc do not meet the individual criteria for consolidation in the Government Financial Reporting Manual, as referred to in note 37 of the resource accounts of the Export Credits Guarantee Department for 2008-09.

Ian Lucas: With regard to ECGD's 2008-09 Resource Accounts, Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc fell outside the departmental accounting boundary as defined in section 2.4 of the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) with which ECGD is required to comply in its preparing Resource Accounts. On this basis, ECGD was not required to consolidate Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc into its Resource Accounts.

Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the implications are for the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) of the ownership of Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc by two charitable trust companies, as referred to in note 37 to the resource accounts of the ECGD for 2008-09.

Ian Lucas: The ownership of the Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation plc by two charitable trusts has no implications for ECGD's 2008-09 Resource Accounts. The nature of the transactions between ECGD and Guaranteed Export Finance Corporation are as described in note 37 to ECGD's Resource Accounts for 2008-09.

Higher Education

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessors spent on increasing the retention rate in higher education in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: In addition to its core teaching funding, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) provides institutions with additional funding to help support student retention. The total amounts for the last five academic years are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Full Time Students 159,353,247 166,640,907 184,128,520 188,582,804 192,875,340 
			 Part Time Students 53,883,613 54,283,169 55,763,058 57,351,573 60,292,489 
			  Source:  Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) 
		
	
	We maintain very good completion rates for first degrees-OECD statistics show that the UK ranks third of 27 countries. This has been achieved and maintained during aperiod when higher education has been opened up to both increased numbers and a greater diversity of students.

Higher Education: Age Participation Rates

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the rate of participation by 18 year olds resident in each region of England in higher education has been in each year since 2003-04.

David Lammy: This information is currently only available for the years 2005-06 and 2006-07. Nationally, the latest figures show that some 31 per cent. of young people who were in maintained schools at age 15 in 2002/03 had progressed to HE by age 19 by 2006/07. This latest percentage is derived from the matched Higher Education Statistics-National Pupil Database-Individual Learning Record dataset and reflects those persons who progress to HE in 2005/06 at age 18 or in 2006/07 at age 19.
	The figures for each Government office region (GOR) are shown in the table. Children aged 15 were allocated to each GOR based on the location of the school they attended.
	
		
			  Percentage of 15-year-old students in maintained schools in England who progressed to higher education by age 19-split by Government office region 
			   2005-06( 1)  2006-07( 2) 
			 London 35 36 
			 West Midlands 29 30 
			 North West 29 30 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 27 27 
			 North East 27 27 
			 South West 29 29 
			 East of England 30 30 
			 South East 32 32 
			 East Midlands 30 30 
			 England 30 31 
			 (1) Percentage of children aged 15 attending maintained schools in 2001-02 who progressed to higher education by 2005-06 by age 19 (2) Percentage of children aged 15 attending maintained schools in 2002-03 who progressed to higher education by 2006-07 by age 19  Source: Matched Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), National Pupil Database (NPD) and Individual Learner Record (ILR) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-Time Undergraduate entrants from West Suffolk Parliamentary Constituency( 1) UK Higher Education Institutions( 2) : Academic years 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Socio economic classification  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 55 5 50 5 50 0 55 5 55 0 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 55 5 80 5 70 5 85 0 100 15 
			 Intermediate occupations 30 5 25 5 35 5 30 5 45 10 
			 Small employers and own account workers 10 0 20 0 30 0 20 0 20 0 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 10 0 15 0 15 0 20 0 20 0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 20 5 30 5 30 10 30 5 35 5 
			 Routine occupations 5 0 15 5 15 0 15 0 20 10 
			 Missing(3) 60 40 50 55 65 55 70 35 85 30 
			 (1) The table does not include entrants whose constituency cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Notes:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Russell Group

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of pupils in state education at the age of 17 years who subsequently studied at Russell Group universities in the latest period for which information is available.

David Lammy: The information is not currently available in the form requested. There may be possibilities for deriving a valid progression statistic for 17-year-olds from the matched Higher Education Statistics, National Pupil dataset and Individual Learning Record but such analysis has not been carried out to date. Developing a sufficiently robust approach and quality assuring the results could be completed only at disproportionate cost. Therefore, the following figures have been provided as an alternative.
	Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show in the 2007-08 academic year, 35,390 18-year-old full-time undergraduate entrants whose previous institution was either a state school or FE college attended Russell Group HE institutions in the UK. This equates to 25 per cent. of all 18-year-old full-time undergraduate entrants to HE from state schools or FE colleges. Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in January 2010.

Higher Education: Russell Group

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils from each socio-economic group in state secondary education who subsequently studied at Russell Group universities in the latest period for which information is available.

David Lammy: It is estimated that 6 per cent. of young people who were in English maintained schools and aged 15 at the start of academic year 2002-03, progressed to HE at a Russell Group institution by the age of 19 (in 2006-07).
	The following table shows the composition of this group by each socio-economic group. Figures for 2007-08 will be available in 2010.
	
		
			  Pupils aged 15 at the start of the 2002-03 academic year, in English maintained schools, who progressed to HE at a Russell Group institution by the age of 19 in 2006-07: Socio-economic breakdown 
			  Socio-economic classification  Proportion (percentage) 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 25 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 28 
			 Intermediate occupations 11 
			 Small employers and own account workers 5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 3 
			 Semi-routine occupations 7 
			 Routine occupations 3 
			 Missing(1) 18 
			 (1) Includes those classified as missing, not classified and never worked and long term unemployed.  Source: Matched data from the National Pupil Database, the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and the Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record.

Insolvency Service: Publicity

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the reasons were for the higher expenditure by the Insolvency Service on promotional items in 2007-08 than in the previous two years.

Ian Lucas: During the year 2007-08, £23,489.94 was spent. Of this, £11,892.22 was assigned to the service's Enabling the Future (EtF) programme and £11,680 was assigned to the rest of the service.
	EtF is a major change programme which is enabling Insolvency Service staff to provide the best possible service to customers. It represents a major programme of investment in the service's systems and the way it works, aimed at: providing modern tools and processes to support the highest quality of customer service; reducing costs and so improving the value for money the service offers; and making the service a better and more rewarding place for staff to work in. The money was spent on internal publicity material designed to ensure that the changes in working practices were embedded within the organisation.
	The £11,680 was assigned to the rest of the service.

Insolvency: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies in Leeds West constituency have become insolvent in each year since 2005.

Ian Lucas: Statistics covering corporate insolvencies are not currently available at sub-national level within England and Wales.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the US administration on its plans for the Joint Strike Fighter and its jet propulsion system.

Ian Lucas: BIS Ministers have had no such recent discussions with the US Administration. However, officials in the British embassy in Washington, MOD officials and MOD Ministers routinely discuss all aspects of the Joint Strike Fighter programme with their US counterparts.

KBR: Export Credit Guarantees

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for cover from  (a) Kellogg, Brown and Root and its subsidiaries and  (b) MW Kellogg Limited and its subsidiaries the Export Credits Guarantee Department has considered since 2000.

Ian Lucas: Since 2000, ECGD has considered applications in respect of the following business:
	 (a) Kellogg, Brown and Root:
	2004-works in connection with an oilfield development in Kazakhstan.
	 (b) M W Kellogg Limited:
	2002-works in connection with the construction of two gas liquefaction units in Nigeria.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many placements under Knowledge Transfer Partnerships there have been in the last three years.

David Lammy: holding answer 22 October 2009
	The number of live Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) as at 31 March for the last three years was 1,048 (31 March 2007), 976 (31 March 2008) and 977 (31 March 2009).
	The number of new KTPs approved in these years was 352 (2006-07), 322 (2007-08) and 408 (2008-09).

Mabey and Johnson: Export Credit Guarantees

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what support has been provided to Mabey and Johnson Ltd by the Export Credits Guarantee Department; and what the  (a) project or product involved,  (b) date of approval,  (c) amount of exposure at the date of approval and  (d) destination country for the export was in each case.

Ian Lucas: ECGD has provided support in respect of the contracts listed as follows involving Mabey and Johnson since 1985. The exports were for steel bridges and flyovers.
	
		
			   Country  ECGD's original maximum liability (million) 
			 1985 Iraq £4.59 
			 1987 Indonesia US$24.02 
			 1991 Indonesia £6.00 
			 1992 Ghana £16.46 
			 1996 Philippines £23.56 
			 1997 Panama US$36.3 
			 1999 Philippines (1)JPY 11,133.8 
			 2000 Bangladesh (1)JPY 2,707.6 
			 2000 Jamaica £17.28 
			 2000 Philippines (1)JPY 19,026.1 
			 2001 Dominican Republic US$35.66 
			 2001 Philippines (1)JPY 26,767.1 
			 2002 Venezuela US$2.57 
			 2002 Papua New Guinea (1)JPY 6,743.1 
			 2003 Sri Lanka (1)JPY 4,161.8 
			 2003 Jamaica £19.79 
			 2005 Philippines (1)JPY 19,009.6 
			 2006 Philippines (1)JPY 11,757.3 
			 2008 Sri Lanka (1)JPY 15,770.4 
			 (1)Japanese Yen

Manufacturing Industries

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the implications for manufacturing industry in the UK of levels of foreign ownership of that industry; and what discussions he has had with trade union representatives on the subject.

Ian Lucas: The UK economy benefits very substantially from its openness to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Research was carried out for UKTI by Professor Richard Harris of the University of Glasgow in 2008/09 looking at the effects of FDI on both services and manufacturing, focusing specifically on the effects of mergers and acquisitions, but also looking at other types of FDI. The full final report is now available from the UKTI Economics and Evaluation team, and is due to be published on the UKTI website in November, under the title The Effect of Foreign Mergers and Acquisitions on UK Productivity and Employment.
	We have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including trade unions, about manufacturing, including on topics such as foreign investment.

Manufacturing Insight

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) schools and  (b) universities have been visited by representatives of the Manufacturing Insight office since its inception.

Ian Lucas: Nick Hussey was appointed director of Manufacturing Insight on 1 September 2009 and has not yet visited schools or universities. He is expected to make contact with key players in education establishments once the Manufacturing Insight business plan has been agreed. The business plan is currently being agreed with the board and is expected to be finalised in autumn 2009.

Manufacturing Insight

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has made available to Manufacturing Insight for the promotion of manufacturing in the UK in the last three years.

Ian Lucas: Manufacturing Insight was established in 2009 and will be formally launched to business in October 2009. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has allocated £50,000 per annum for two years towards start-up costs, as part of a package of core funding, which is to come from the wider business community.

Manufacturing Insight: Manpower

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time employees there are in the Manufacturing Insight office.

Ian Lucas: At this time Nick Hussey is the sole employee of Manufacturing Insight. He was appointed as Director on 1 September 2009.

Mobile Phones: Unfair Practices

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with mobile telephone operators on the compatibility of their policy of mobile termination rates with fair trading practices; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I meet regularly with all the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to discuss a range of issues, including Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs).
	With the independent industry regulator Ofcom, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is committed to reducing mobile termination rates and making the cost of calling more affordable for all consumers. MTRs are set to fall by about a quarter between 2007 and 2011. Earlier this year Ofcom undertook a further public consultation on how mobile termination rates should be set after the current pricing system ends in 2011.
	A range of options, from removing them altogether to maintaining the current system and radical options in between, are being considered to ensure the best outcome is secured for consumers and a changing mobile market.

Motor Vehicles: Innovation

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to support research and development in the automotive industry in the last five years.

Ian Lucas: BIS and its predecessors have worked with other Government Departments, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and other organisations to support research and development (RD) by the UK automotive sector in a range of ways over the last five years. In particular, the Technology Strategy Board's Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform, launched in May 2007, is the key delivery agent for the Government's RD funding on low carbon vehicles. The Low Carbon Vehicles Integrated Delivery Programme is a key tool that the Innovation Platform will use to achieve its goal over the coming five years. The programme involves about £250 million of joint Government and industry investment and co-ordinates the UK's low carbon vehicle activity from initial strategic academic research through to industry-led collaborative RD. £25 million has been allocated to highly innovative, industry-led collaborative research projects in the field of ultra low carbon vehicle development and demonstration.
	Government have also supported automotive RD through the Centres of Excellence on Low Carbon and Fuel Cells (CENEX) and Intelligent Transport Systems and Sustainable Mobility (InnovITS) which have received total funding from this Department of over £13 million. The Foresight Vehicle programme ran from 1997 to 2007 and supported RD through the associated LINK programme.
	Government provided over £45 million funding which supported 100 collaborative RD projects with a value in excess of £100 million. In addition, the £2.3 billion Automotive Assistance Programme has been designed, among other things, to help support the development of cutting-edge technology in the longer term.

Motor Vehicles: Manufactering Industries

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the maximum number of car purchases which may be supported by the car scrappage scheme; and how much of the funding allocated to the scheme has been disbursed.

Ian Lucas: Following the extension announced on 28 September 2009, the vehicle scrappage scheme will now, subject to parliamentary approval, cover up to 400,000 transactions. 253,364 orders have been placed (covering the period from 23 April to 11 October) and £135,188,000 has been paid out under the scheme as at 21 October. BIS payments are made once orders are fulfilled and transactions are completed.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which applications for funding from the Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform had been successful on the latest date for which information is available.

Patrick McFadden: To date, the successful applications for funding under the Technology Strategy Board's Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform are:
	
		
			  September 2007 
			  Lead Company  Project Title 
			  Competition  
			 Jaguar Cars Ltd Limo-Green 
			 FiFe Batteries Ltd Li-Ion batteries for plug-in HEVs 
			 Magnomatics Ltd HiTED 
			 Axon Automotive Axon 60 
			 Jaguar Cars Ltd Flywheel hybrid system for premium vehicles 
			 TWI Ltd (LAB-LCV) 
			 Leyland Trucks Ltd Second generation 7.5t-12t diesel/electric hybrid truck 
			 Land Rover Range Extended Vehicle (REHEV) 
			 Tanfield Group plc DESERVE - Develop high energy battery and high power supercaps for all electric range van evaluation 
			 BAE Systems Hybrid electric technology for transit buses 
			 Ford Motor Co Ltd Engine optimisation for reduced parasitic losses 
			 Hatcher Components Ltd Commercial vehicle fuel and carbon reduction by the use of 'aerospace aero' devices 
			 Intelligent Energy Zero emission London taxi commercialisation 
			 Ricardo UK Ltd 2/4 CAR 2/4 - stroke switching carbon reduction vehicle 
			 JLR Lower cost, light weight vehicles by increasing the use of post consumer aluminium scrap 
			   
			  Ultra-efficient vehicle systems competition  
			 Smith Electric Vehicles Integrated 'E' van system 
			 Ricardo UK Ltd. Hyboost-Hybridised boosted optimised system with turbocompound 
			 Axeon Technologies Ltd. Next generation battery management system 
			 Integral Powertrain Ltd. Ultra-cost efficient hybrid powertrain (UCEHP) 
			 Nissan Motor Manufacturing Ultra-efficient electric machines and drives for EVs and HEVs 
			   
			  Ultra-low carbon vehicles demonstrator competition  
			 Arup Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators (CABLED) 
			 AEA EEMS Accelerate 
			 Nissan/Smith Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicle Accelerated Development in the North East (EVADINE) 
			 Ford Motor Company Ford Focus Battery Electric Vehicle 
			 EDF Energy/Elektromotive/Greater London Authority/Westminster City Council London South East Bid 
			 BMW Group MINI E Research Project 
			 Peugeot Peugeot Electric Cars 
			 Toyota/EDF Energy PHV-Paving the way to full commercialisation of plug-in hybrid vehicles 
		
	
	The above 28 projects are being grant funded to a total of £59.1 million.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industry

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many cars have been purchased under the car scrappage scheme in  (a) the UK and  (b) Wales.

Ian Lucas: Using data based on the locations of dealerships and data for scrappage transactions which have been completed and vehicles delivered, there have been 169,159 completed scrappage transactions across the UK including 7,934 in Wales.

MW Kellogg: Export Credit Guarantees

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the support provided by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in connection with the liquefied natural gas Plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria included commissions to agents.

Ian Lucas: No.

MW Kellogg: Export Credit Guarantees

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps were taken by the Export Credits Guarantee Department to ascertain whether MW Kellogg Ltd. or other subsidiaries of Halliburton were implicated in  (a) domestic and  (b) foreign jurisdictions in allegations of bribery in connection with the liquefied natural gas Plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

Ian Lucas: Prior to committing its support for the supplies of goods and services by MW Kellogg Ltd. to the LNG plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria, ECGD obtained from the company a warranty that to the best of its knowledge no-one, including anyone acting on its behalf, had engaged in any corrupt activity in connection with the goods and services for which ECGD provide its support. Following the provision of its support, ECGD became aware of allegations of bribery and corruption in connection with the LNG plant at Bonny Island. Since ECGD is not an investigatory body and has no investigatory powers, it does not carry out investigations into such allegations but reports them to the Serious Fraud Office.

News International

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any Minister or official in his Department and its predecessors has had  (a) meetings,  (b) communications and  (c) other contacts with News International in the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The BIS relationship manager has met with their opposite number in News International on a reactive basis over the past five years, when industrial concerns of a general nature were raised. In addition, Lord Carter held a private meeting with James Murdoch on 26 February this year as part of his evidence gathering for the interim Digital Britain Report.

Northern Rock: Corporate Hospitality

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Shareholder Executive has spent on entertaining staff of Northern Rock since January 2008.

Patrick McFadden: Gary Hoffman (chief executive) and Anne Godbehere (chief finance officer) of Northern Rock attended the Shareholder Executive annual reception on the 9 October 2008.
	The cost of the reception, quoted by Government Hospitality, was £35 per head.

Public Appointments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what duties the new Chief Construction Officer will have.

Ian Lucas: The duties of the chief construction adviser will be to:
	Chair a new construction category board, which will build on the work of the existing Public Sector Construction Clients Forum, to oversee the implementation and further the development of best value in Government construction procurement;
	Chair an enhanced sustainable construction strategy delivery board to help ensure policy regarding the industry is effectively co-ordinated;
	Assess the key barriers to growth in the UK's low carbon construction sector to ensure the UK is well placed to serve developing needs and markets;
	Work with the industry, through the Strategic Forum for Construction, to deliver the industry improvement agenda, including the Construction Commitments;
	Promote innovation in the sector, working closely with the Technology Strategy Board and other funding bodies;
	Co-ordinate the Whitehall response to reports featuring construction.
	The chief construction adviser will also lead the Low Carbon Review of the Construction Industry announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on 17 September.

Regulatory Policy Committee

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times the Regulatory Policy Committee has met since April 2009; and what advice it has provided to Ministers on better regulation.

Ian Lucas: Michael Gibbons was appointed as the chair of the Regulatory Policy Committee on 15 October. The other members will be appointed shortly and together they will then agree the strategy and work programme for the Committee.

Regulatory Policy Committee

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much it cost to establish the Regulatory Policy Committee; and what estimate he has made of its running costs for 2009-10.

Ian Lucas: The Regulatory Policy Committee is being funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from within existing departmental budgets. The chair and members will be unpaid and the secretariat will be provided by existing BIS civil servants occupying accommodation on the BIS estate.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Corporate Hospitality

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Shareholder Executive has spent on entertaining staff of the Royal Bank of Scotland since January 2008.

Patrick McFadden: Since January 2008, there has been no expenditure incurred by the Shareholder Executive entertaining staff of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of items of mail which have been delayed by industrial action by Royal Mail employees in the last three months.

Patrick McFadden: Operational matters are the direct responsibility of the company. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
	A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what compensation is available to small businesses adversely affected by industrial action by Royal Mail employees; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: It is clear that national postal strikes will have an impact on small businesses that heavily depend upon Royal Mail services. Compensation for delayed mail is a matter for Royal Mail who have put in place a compensation framework agreed with Postcomm, the industry regulator. Compensation for delays caused by industrial action relating to Royal Mail's bulk mail products is subject to a decision by the regulator.

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the effects of a national strike by Royal Mail employees on  (a) online retailers,  (b) small businesses and  (c) the UK economy.

Patrick McFadden: It is clear that national postal strikes will have an impact on those businesses and associated services that heavily rely on Royal Mail services.
	We are in regular contact with both the management and the union about the dispute. Our message to them is that, in the interests of Royal Mail, the Communication Workers Union members and the country, they should sit down and resolve this dispute through talks.

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many items of mail he estimates would be delayed by  (a) a national postal strike,  (b) a series of rolling strikes and  (c) unofficial industrial action; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Any delay in the mail caused by industrial action depends on the type of action called and the effectiveness of Royal Mail's business continuity and recovery plans. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
	A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what compensation will be paid by the Royal Mail to businesses which can demonstrate financial losses from postal strikes.

Patrick McFadden: Compensation for delayed mail is a matter for Royal Mail who have put in place a compensation framework agreed with Postcomm, the industry regulator. Details concerning Royal Mail's compensation procedures can be found on Royal Mail's website
	www.royalmail.com
	Compensation for delays caused by industrial action relating to Royal Mail's bulk mail products is subject to a decision by the regulator.

Students: Employment

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of university students who were undertaking part-time employment at the same time as their studies in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2007-08, published on the 21 April, is a comprehensive study of student income, expenditure, borrowing and debt. It showed that 53 per cent. of all English domiciled full-time undergraduate students undertook paid work at some time during the academic year-either during term-time, during the short vacations or both. For those undertaking such work, earnings over the academic year were on average £4,005 (after tax).

Students: Finance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Randall) of 11 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1009W, on student finance, when he expects to announce the independent review of tuition fees.

David Lammy: My right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for Education and Skills, told the House in January 2004 that there would be an independent review of tuition fees once we had evidence on the first three years of the variable fee regime.
	My noble Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, has announced that the Independent Review of Variable Tuition Fees will be launched this autumn.

Students: Finance

Michael Fallon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that students resident in England applying to study at Trinity College, Dublin are correctly advised by Student Finance England on financial support which is available to them.

David Lammy: Trinity College Dublin is classed as an overseas institution for students resident in England, therefore the courses are not designated for support under the Education (Student Support) (No.2) Regulations 2008 and the students would not receive financial support from the English Government. Student Finance England would not be expected to provide advice on the support available to students intending to study at Trinity College but rather would refer them to the higher education authority in Dublin who would be able to advise on possible sources of financial assistance.

Students: Finance

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the cost to students of taking a second degree.

David Lammy: In general, we believe it is right to give priority in spending public funds on students studying a degree for the first time. This has for some time been our policy on financial support for students, and it has increasingly been our policy in respect of the teaching grant paid to universities since 2008. We believe it to be the right policy on grounds of equity because it allows more people access to higher education; and because it is the most effective way to grow the number of people with high level skills. There are exceptions to this general presumption: for example, students going to study at a higher level, and students studying programmes which most clearly meet economic needs such as foundation degree programmes.

Telecommunications

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many households have discontinued their fixed line telephone connection in each of the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Telephone Services: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) households and  (b) businesses in (i) Fife and (ii) North-East Fife constituency which will be (A) liable for and (B) exempt from payment of the levy on telephone lines proposed in the Digital Britain White Paper.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has made no specific estimate of the number of  (a) households and  (b) businesses in (i) Fife and (ii) North-East Fife constituency which will be (A) liable for and (B) exempt from payment of the levy on telephone lines proposed in the Digital Britain White Paper.
	Ofcom estimates that there are 172,121 fixed lines in the Fife area. We do not have estimates on the number of people on benefits in this constituency but recognise that those on the lowest incomes might have difficulty paying the fixed line levy and that is why we have confirmed that those on social telephony schemes will be exempt. The social telephony schemes are available to those on income support, income-based job seeker's allowance, employment support allowance (income rated) or guaranteed pensions credit and should be an accurate indication of ability to pay.

Training: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided to employers for employer-based training as classified by the sector skills council in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: The Department's main support for work-based adult skills training is provided through the Train to Gain and Apprenticeships programmes. In 2006-07 the expenditure on both these programmes was £457 million; in 2007-08 it rose to £585 million.

UK Innovation Investment Fund: Finance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Government will provide for the new UK Innovation Investment Fund in the next three years; and how much private sector investment he expects the Fund to receive in that period.

David Lammy: The Government are committing £150 million of taxpayer investment to build a fund of up to £1 billion over its 10-year life. The Government expect that their investment of £150 million will leverage significant investment from the private sector.

USA: Overseas Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of trade was between the UK and the United States in each of the last five years.

Ian Lucas: The data requested are shown in the following table
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports of goods to USA  UK exports of services to USA  UK imports of goods from USA  UK imports of services from USA  Total UK-USA trade 
			 2004 28,794 25,790 22,525 15,357 92,466 
			 2005 31,095 24,423 22,530 16,329 94,377 
			 2006 32,287 29,226 25,830 16,792 104,135 
			 2007 32,274 32,964 26,095 18,387 109,720 
			 2008 35,351 36,173 25,848 19,703 117,075 
			  Source: UK Balance of Payments Pink Book, 2009 edition

Video Games

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of  (a) video game exports and  (b) video game imports was in each year from 2001 to 2008.

Ian Lucas: Full figures are not separately identifiable for trade in video games as a whole: royalties, licence fees and trade in services associated with video games are not separately identifiable; nor are trade in goods figures for video games not for use with a television receiver. The figures in the following table are for trade in goods for video games for use with a television receiver (Harmonised System code 950410) recorded in the overseas trade statistics.
	
		
			  £ million  Exports  Imports 
			 2001 71 216 
			 2002 139 465 
			 2003 104 387 
			 2004 68 283 
			 2005 86 285 
			 2006 114 516 
			 2007 182 1,026 
			 2008 220 1,140

White Phosphorus

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information the Export Control Organisation requires of companies seeking an export licence for munitions containing white phosphorus.

Ian Lucas: Companies applying for a standard individual export licence (SIEL) to export any munitions, including those containing white phosphorus, must provide the Export Control Organisation with sufficient information to allow an assessment against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and any other relevant announced policies to be made.
	This includes providing sufficient technical details to allow the correct control list entry for the goods to be identified; specific quantities and values; the name of the end-user, consignee and any other parties involved in the transaction; and information on what the munitions will be used for. Companies also have to supply a signed end-user undertaking from the end user, which is used to corroborate information provided in the application form.
	Applications for open individual export licences (OIEL) must include the same information, except specific quantities and values and not normally required.

Work of Manufacturing Insight

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the work of Manufacturing Insight.

Ian Lucas: Manufacturing Insight has not yet been formally launched. Nick Hussey was appointed director of Manufacturing Insight on 1 September 2009. The Manufacturing Insight Board will closely monitor and assess achievements over the short, medium and longer term, against the agreed business plan. The business plan is currently being agreed with the board and is expected to be finalised autumn 2009.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings: Energy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department may transfer to third parties data held on its register of the energy performance of buildings.

John Healey: The Secretary of State may disclose data to third parties held on its register in accordance with part 6 of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 as amended.
	We plan to consult later this year on a strategy to allow third parties greater access to the energy performance of buildings data.

Common Purpose: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 18 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, how much his Department has paid to Common Purpose since its establishment; and who the young leaders being trained by Common Purpose are.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government has funded Common Purpose a total of £215,000 since 2007 to provide leadership training to members of Muslim communities.
	2006-07: £85,000 to provide leadership training to 40 Muslim community leaders.
	2007-08: £65,000 to deliver training to 60 emerging leaders within the Muslim Community, with a particular focus on women, young people and faith leaders.
	2008-09: £65,000 to provide leadership training to 65 younger members of the Muslim community, including a schools and colleges programme.
	Communities and Local Government has also spent £20,950 on six Common Purpose training programmes for members of CLG staff since the year 2000.

Community Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the research report associated with his Department's publication 'Evaluation of the Take-up and Use of the Well-being Power: research summary' published in November 2008.

Rosie Winterton: The research report was published in November 2008 by the university of Birmingham and university of the West of England, entitled 'Formative Evaluation of the Take-up and Implementation of the Well Being Power, 2003-07, Final Report 2007'. A copy has been placed in the House Library.

Community Development: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what method his Department used to determine the (a) wards and  (b) local authorities to receive funding from the first wave of its Connecting Communities programme.

Shahid Malik: Neighbourhoods have been identified by examining a range of hard and soft data around cohesion, deprivation and crime, perceived unfairness in the allocation of resources and feedback from people working locally. Over 100 authorities have now indicated interest in being part of Connecting Communities. The first 27 areas across 21 local authorities announced on 14 October are those that have a good understanding of what they want to do and are ready to start work immediately. Discussions are continuing with another 80 local authorities that should be ready to go live later this year.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of usage of section 106 agreements of the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Barbara Follett: As part of the Government's consultation on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which was launched on 30 July 2009 and will conclude on 23 October 2009, the Government have proposed that the facility to enter into a negotiated planning obligation using section 106 of the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act will remain when CIL is introduced. However, the Government have stated their intention to make changes to the operation of section 106 following the introduction of CIL. Details of the Government's proposals are set out in chapter 5 of the CIL consultation document.

Conservation Areas

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which single conservation areas the Homes and Communities Agency has established; and which local authority areas each covers.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency has not established any single conservation areas. The agency is in regular contact with organisations such as English Nature as well as relevant local authorities to ensure conservation aspects of proposals are considered.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on the collection of data on domestic properties for the purpose of revaluing properties for council tax; and what data sources not controlled by his Department have been used for this revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The postponement of the 2007 council tax revaluation was announced in September 2005. There has been no further work on revaluation since that date.
	With regard to the costs to central Government of the postponed revaluation, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 October 2005,  Official Report, column 327W, which explained that these cannot be separately identified.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency plans to perform point valuations on individual properties as part of its revaluation for council tax in England.

Barbara Follett: There is no revaluation of council tax in England.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 76 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, to whom the £301,000 payment in settlement of a personal injury claim was made in December 2008; and where the injury occurred.

Barbara Follett: This amount relates to a payment made to a private individual. Disclosing the name of this individual would breach the first data protection principle. However, I can confirm that the payment was in settlement of a personal injury compensation claim which was brought against the Department by a former Property Services Agency employee who contracted mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos in the workplace.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 76 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, to whom the £750,000 compensation payment in respect of the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive scheme was made in November 2008; and for what reasons.

Barbara Follett: The payment of £750,000 in November 2008 was an out of court settlement to Cannock Chase district council in respect of legal challenges.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 76 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, to whom the £9.3 million compensation payment was made in October 2008; and for what reasons.

Barbara Follett: This payment was made to the Midlands Co-operative Society Ltd. It was in settlement of a claim relating to the handling of a planning case which was investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. This is explained further in chapter 10.83 of the departmental annual report.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 18 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, what the ConnCom Plus programme is.

Barbara Follett: The ConnCom Plus programme, as listed in the Communities and Local Government Resource Accounts for 2008-09 (the payment listed was paid in 2007-08), was the Connecting Communities Plus programme, a grant programme for organisations working to promote race equality and community cohesion. The Community Development Foundation (CDF) managed the community grants part of this programme on behalf of CLG and this money was disbursed by the CDF to successful grant recipients.

Departmental Recruitment

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the job vacancies for three departmental advisers on faith and community issues, advertised by his Department in August 2009, for what reasons the vacancies  (a) are for 12-month fixed-term contracts and  (b) were not advertised through the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway or departmental website.

Shahid Malik: Communities and Local Government occasionally recruits specialist staff on a time-limited basis, to provide additional expertise and capacity as required.
	Communities and Local Government advertised the three departmental advisers on faith and community posts in accordance with the rules set out by the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners. We advertised these posts through the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway and the departmental website as well as a range of specific faith and community press, and national media.

Eco-towns: Domestic Waste

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has participated in the production of guidance on the prevention of household waste in eco-towns.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 1652-53W.

Fire Engines: Sales

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire engines have been sold by the Fire Service in each of the last three years.

Shahid Malik: Disposal of assets is a matter for individual fire and rescue authorities. The Department does not collect this information centrally.

Fire Prevention

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance and advice notes his Department has issued in relation to  (a) integrated fire risk management plans and  (b) the national fire services framework.

Shahid Malik: IRMP Guidance Note 4 was reissued in September 2009 and offers Fire and Rescue Authorities a framework in which to develop, implement and manage a risk-based inspection programme which takes account of both the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and CLG's update of the 'Other Building Fire Frequencies' data which underpin the Fire Service Emergency Cover (FSEC) Toolkit.
	The current Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) National Framework for 2008 to 2010 was published May 2008.
	The Department issues FRS circulars, the majority of which provide important information or guidance on expectations set out within the National Framework. A table listing the 62 circulars issued to date for 2009 has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Fire Prevention

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to fire authorities on Community Risk Management.

Shahid Malik: Fire and Rescue Authorities produce Community Risk Plans as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process.
	FRAs are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances-evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly.
	A range of guidance on the drawing up of IRMPs has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website.
	FRAs are also required by the National Framework, in drawing up their IRMPs, to have regard to the risk analyses completed by Local and Regional Resilience Forums including those reported in external Community Risk Registers (CRRs) and internal risk registers, to ensure that civil and terrorist contingencies are captured in their IRMP.
	The Cabinet Office issues guidance in the form of the Local Risk Assessment Guidance which contains information on generic hazards and threats that should assist category 1 responders (including the fire and rescue service) in performing their risk assessment duties required under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Fire Research Academy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department has allocated for the establishment of the Fire Research Academy.

Shahid Malik: Pump-priming of a sector led 'Fire Research Academy' is included in this year's Fire and Resilience Directorate research programme, which was drawn up in consultation with stakeholders.
	Funding is not yet allocated to it and will be dependent upon the sustainability of any business proposal put forward, the level of sector support and ministerial consideration.

Fire Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to fire and rescue authorities on  (a) the reconfiguration of fire services,  (b) the use of retained firefighters by fire services and  (c) fire station closures.

Shahid Malik: Decisions on issues such as the provision of fire services and the closure of fire stations are taken by individual Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process.
	FRAs are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances-evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resources, accordingly. That would include decisions regarding the appropriate deployment of all firefighters including those working on the retained duty system.
	A range of guidance on the drawing up of IRMPs has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website.

Fire Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 13 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, for what reasons the FireLink project has been delayed; what assessment he has made of the implications for fire services of such a delay; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The primary reason for the delays to the Firelink project arose from the contractor's under-estimate of the time required to enhance the resilience of their network. All Fire and Rescue Services excepting two are now migrated onto the Firelink system; Shropshire and London are scheduled to be migrated by March 2010.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment was made of the merits of using employment legislation to prohibit industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union on public safety grounds during the Iraq conflict in 2003.

Shahid Malik: The legal implications of the industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union were kept under review throughout the dispute, including the period before and after the start of the Iraq conflict in March 2003. As indicated by the Solicitor-General on 19 December 2002,  Official Report, column 943W, the Attorney-General has the power to apply to the court for an injunction to prevent threatened breaches of the criminal law. It is the Attorney-General's duty to keep under constant review the question whether to exercise this power.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which fire authorities in Wales have entered into contracts with private sector companies to provide fire cover in the event of industrial action.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	Matters relating to the fire service in Wales are devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government.
	The three chief fire officers in Wales have advised that none of the fire authorities in Wales have entered into contracts with private sector companies to provide fire cover in the event of industrial action.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 237W, on fire services: industrial disputes, for what reason  (a) his Department and  (b) Government Offices for the Regions do not hold copies of contingency plans prepared by fire and rescue authorities in relation to industrial action in the fire service; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the resilience and effectiveness of the fire service in the event of national industrial action by firefighters.

Shahid Malik: The preparation, updating and retention of contingency plans for industrial action in the fire and rescue service is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities. The need to have a contingency plan in place is a requirement of the National Framework for the Fire and Rescue Service, compliance with which is assessed by the Audit Commission as part of their Comprehensive Area Assessment for the fire and rescue service.

Fire Services: Pay

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the salary is of the  (a) chair and  (b) vice chair of each fire authority in the East of England.

Shahid Malik: This information is not held centrally.

FiReBuy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the abolition of Firebuy Ltd. and the creation of a successor body.

Shahid Malik: In my written statement of 25 June 2009,  Official Report, column 65WS, I said that our review of national procurement in the Fire and Rescue Service in England had concluded that a national procurement body represented the best way to deliver fire-specific collaborative procurement. For the future, we proposed that this role should be carried out within a larger organisation, also responsible for the management of the service contracts for the Fire and Resilience Programme. These proposals were set out in a consultation paper issued in July, the deadline for responses to which was 5 October 2009. The responses are now being considered and a further announcement will be made in due course.

FiReBuy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1422W, if he will now place in the Library a copy of the Stage 3 Gateway Review on the FireBuy integrated clothing project.

Shahid Malik: As reported in the response of 28 January 2009, it is not general practice to make available the outcome of gateway reviews. The Stage 3 Gateway Review of Firebuy's Integrated Clothing Project will therefore not be placed in the Library.

Green Belt: South East

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 454W, on green belt: South East, whether a sustainability appraisal was undertaken in relation to the specific proposals in the South East Plan to review green belt protection in named locations.

Shahid Malik: The South East Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) was subject to a Sustainability Appraisal, before it was published in May of this year, as required by Section 39(2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. That included an assessment of the effect of the policies in the RSS.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will initiate a review of the effectiveness of home information packs against the objective set for the policy.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1989W.

Housing: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of dwellings in England are recorded on the Valuation Office Agency's database with  (a) dwellinghouse and  (b) value significant code data.

Barbara Follett: As at 2 October 2009 there were 22,773,690 dwellings in council tax valuation lists in England. Of these  (a) all have at least one of the 16 dwellinghouse codes and  (b) 6,135,817 (27 per cent.) have one or more of the value significant codes.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) audit and  (b) inspection fees the Audit Commission has charged each local authority in England in each of the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 22 October 2009:
	Parliamentary Question: what  (a) audit and  (b) inspection fees the Audit Commission has charged each local authority in England in each of the last three years.
	Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
	Attached are two tables providing the audit and inspection fees the Audit Commission has charged to each principal local authority in England in each of the last three years (2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09).
	The lists of bodies are different as not all local authorities (as defined by section 270 of the Local Government Act 1972) are subject to the Audit Commission's inspection powers.
	 Audit fees (Table 1)-tables available in the Library of the House.
	The audit fees provided exclude some 9,500 parish and town councils. The vast majority of these have income or expenditure below £1 million and are subject to the limited assurance audit approach set out in Schedule 1 to the statutory Code of Audit Practice. They have fixed audit fees based on the income or expenditure and we have excluded the fees as it would take a disproportionate amount of time to collate the information requested.
	The final audit fees for:
	the audit of the 2008/09 accounts; and
	nine 2007/08 audits, which have yet to be certified as completed (marked by *);
	have not yet been determined by the Commission (as required by section 7 of the Audit Commission Act 1998) as not all audits have been completed. We expect the fees to be determined early in 2010.
	 Inspection fees (Table 2)
	The inspection fees provided relate to the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) system. Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) was introduced from 1 April 2009; and with the introduction of CAA, the Commission's income from inspection fees has reduced significantly. Comparing the final full year of CPA (2007/08) with the first year of CAA (2009/10), inspection fee income from local authorities has reduced from £11.6 million to £6.7 million.
	A copy of this letter has been placed in  Hansard.

Local Government Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy on the Total Place initiative is; and how many councils he expects to participate in pilot schemes under the initiative.

Rosie Winterton: Total Place is an ambitious initiative that will consider how a 'whole area' approach to public services can lead to better services at less cost through 13 pilot areas covering 63 councils from across England.
	This work forms part of the Operational Efficiency programme (OEP) strand led by Sir Michael Bichard which seeks to create the environment where collaboration and innovation on the frontline leads to reduced costs and new ways of working.
	Each of the pilots has picked at least one particular theme to explore in detail how delivery partners in the pilot area will work together, to identify innovative ways to deliver better, customer-led services for less. It will help them to bring together the evidence on the needs of their customers, and on what is being spent, by which agencies, and on what services, to address those needs.

Local Government Services: Religion

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has issued any recent guidance to local authorities on  (a) religious segregation in municipal facilities and  (b) compulsory dress codes in swimming pools.

Shahid Malik: The Department has issued neither type of guidance.

Local Government: Elections

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has performed an impact assessment in relation to the proposals contained in its consultation paper on changing council government arrangements for mayors and indirectly elected leaders.

Rosie Winterton: The focus of the Changing Council Governance Arrangements consultation were proposals set out in the white paper, Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power. An impact assessment for those proposals was published on the Department's website on 9 July 2008 and can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/communitiesincontrol6

Local Government: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to addressing a deficit in the Local Government Pension Scheme through  (a) raising the retirement age and  (b) increasing employee contributions.

Barbara Follett: The Local Government Pension Scheme is regularly reviewed to ensure it remains affordable, viable and fair to taxpayers. A new-look scheme became fully operational on 1 April 2008.
	Its arrangements are being monitored and the next actuarial valuation exercise, as at 31 March 2010, will further assist in the scheme's stewardship.

Local Government: Publicity

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the changes made to the Code of Conduct on Local Authority Publicity in 2001 on the content, publication and distribution of local authority unsolicited newspapers.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of the changes made in 2001 to the code of recommended practice on local authority publicity. However our consultation on the code earlier this year invited views on how the code might be revised and we shall be publishing our response to the over 300 comments we received before the end of the year.

Local Government: Publicity

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will amend the Code of Conduct on Local Authority Publicity to prevent local authorities publishing newspapers which directly compete with commercial local newspapers by incorporating similar content;
	(2)  what progress has been made in the revision of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.

Rosie Winterton: Later this year we will be publishing our response to the over 300 representations we received on our consultation earlier this year about possible revisions to the code of recommended practice on local authority publicity. These responses did not show any widespread concern about council freesheets and newsletters.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects to reply to the letter of 24 July 2009 from the hon. Member for Billericay on funding for the Decent Homes programme;
	(2)  when he expects to reply to the letters of 19 August and 22 September 2009 from the hon. Member for Billericay regarding his constituents, Ms Watson and Mr. Judd.

John Healey: I have now replied to the hon. Member's letters.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what month in 2009 his Department plans to start publishing figures on the number of households which have received support from the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish figures on the take-up of the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in each London borough have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted assistance under the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme in each quarter since the scheme's inception; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (John Battle) on 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1506W.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of  (a) net and  (b) gross revenue from business rates in (i) 1997-98, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) 2010-11.

Barbara Follett: Details of the gross and net revenue (in £ millions) from business rates in (i) 1998-99, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 are shown in the following table. Data for 1997-98 are not available.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Gross revenue  Net revenue 
			 1998-99 12,950 11,445 
			 2008-09 20,638 19,072 
			 2009-10 22,473 20,623 
			 2010-11 23,445 - 
		
	
	Data for 1998-99, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are taken from the local lists and are collected on national non-domestic rates (NNDR1 and NNDR3) returns completed by all billing authorities in England. Data for 1998-99 and 2008-09 are outturn data; data for 2009-10 are budget data. NNDR data for 2010-11 are not yet available. However an estimate of the gross revenue for 2010-11 has been provided using the figure used in consulting on the 2010 revaluation transitional arrangements. This figure assumed zero inflation. No estimates have been made of the net revenue figure for 2010-11. The 2010-11 data were calculated on a different basis to those collected on the NNDR forms and so the figures are not strictly comparable.
	The data for 2008-09 are published in Table 1 of the statistical release National non-domestic rates collected by local authorities in England 2008-09.
	The data for 2009-10 are published in Table 1 of the statistical release National non-domestic rates to be collected by local authorities in England 2009-10.
	Both these releases are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/nondomesticrates/
	The data for 2010-11 are published in Table 1 of the consultation paper The Transitional Arrangements for the Non-domestic Rating Revaluation published on 8 July 2009. This paper can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/nndrrevaluation2010
	Gross revenue is defined as the yield from non-domestic rates that could be collected in the year, irrespective of the year to which it relates, before the deduction of reliefs and before any allowances for the cost of collection.
	Net revenue is defined as the yield from non-domestic rates that could be collected in the year, irrespective of the year to which it relates, after the deduction of reliefs and before any allowance for the cost of collection.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes are proposed to the thresholds for  (a) small business rate relief,  (b) empty property rate relief and  (c) supplementary business rates following the 2010 non-domestic rate revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The rateable value thresholds in the Small Business Rate Relief scheme will increase from 1 April 2010. Eligible businesses, who generally occupy only one property, with a rateable value of £6,000 or below (increased from £5,000) may apply for 50 per cent. relief. Eligible ratepayers with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000 (increased from £5,001 and £10,000 respectively) may apply for relief on a sliding scale between 50 and 0 per cent.. Eligible ratepayers with a rateable value between £12,001 and £17,999 or £25,499 in Greater London (increased from £10,001, £14,999 and £21,499 respectively) may apply for their rates liability to be calculated using the small business non-domestic multiplier. Additional properties with a rateable value up to £2,599 (increased from £2,199) can be disregarded in deciding whether the single occupancy criterion has been met. However, the rateable values of such properties are included in determining whether or not the threshold criterion has been met.
	No decisions have been made on changes to the threshold for empty property relief as a result of revaluation 2010. Hereditaments with a rateable value of £50,000 or less will be exempt from the business rate supplements. In addition there is discretion within the Business Rate Supplements Act 2009 for levying authorities to increase the liability threshold.

Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) a small firm and  (b) a rural proofing impact assessment has been undertaken in respect of the 2010 rates revaluation.

Barbara Follett: Regular revaluations are a standard part of the business rates system and are required by statute. Therefore, no impact assessment has been undertaken by my Department on the overall implementation of the 2010 business rates revaluation. An impact assessment on the proposed transitional arrangements scheme for revaluation 2010 was published on 8 July and includes sections on rural areas and small firms.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the change in revenue to accrue from empty property rates relief in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities reported they granted £1,294 million of empty property relief in 2007-08 and £487 million of empty property relief in 2008-09. They estimate they will grant empty property relief of £570 million in 2009-10.
	These data are available in the National non-domestic rates statistics releases that are available on the Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/nondomesticrates/

Non-Domestic Rates: Religious Buildings

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 591W, on non-domestic rates: religious buildings, what criteria the Registrar General uses when determining whether to certify the premises of a faith community or religion as a place of religious worship.

Meg Hillier: I have been asked to reply.
	The Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 provides for places of meeting for religious worship to be certified to the Registrar General but does not apply to the established Church. When considering the registration of a building which has been certified as a place of religious worship, the Registrar General applies the judgment by the Court of Appeal in the Segerdal case. The main finding in the judgment is that the words 'place of meeting for religious worship' in the Act connote a place of which the principal use is for people to come together as a congregation to worship God or do reverence to a deity. Apart from the Church of England and the Church in Wales, any faith or denomination which meets these criteria would be capable of recognition under the 1855 Act.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's valuation scales for the 2010 business rates revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The Valuation Office Agency has published the valuation scales used for the 2010 non domestic rating revaluation and they may be found on the Agency's website:
	www.voa.gov.uk
	Help section, valuation scale pages.

Parish Councils

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman is in respect of parish councils.

Rosie Winterton: The Local Government Ombudsman has no remit in respect of parish and town councils.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made on the disposal of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The Department and the Shareholder Executive commissioned a site development study on the QEIICC in late June. This is about to be finalised and considered. A further update on progress will be provided at the time of the pre-Budget report 2009.

Racial Discrimination

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 118-9WS, on the Tackling Race Inequalities Fund, when he expects funding to be allocated to each organisation listed.

Shahid Malik: The Tackling Race Inequalities Fund programme was announced subject to agreeing detailed work programmes and monitoring and reporting arrangements.
	As at 14 October my Department has approved 26 of the detailed workplans out of the total 27 successful projects.
	The Tackling Race Inequalities Fund (TRIF) managing agent-the Community Development Foundation (CDF)-has issued a total of 24 funding agreements to the TRIF funded organisations that have approved workplans; they are currently in contact with the organisations to agree administrative processes, and the last organisation regarding their detail work programme. CDF has received 13 signed funding agreements and paid over grant funding on receipt of a grant claim from these TRIF funded organisations.

Recycled Capital Grant Fund

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the outstanding balance of the Homes and Communities Agency's Recycled Capital Grants Receipts Programme funding was at the last date for which figures are available.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 970W.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of refuges which will  (a) lose funding and  (b) close as a result of changes to his Department's Supporting People funding arrangements.

Shahid Malik: The provision of Supporting People housing-related support services, including domestic violence provision, is a matter for local authorities to determine based on local needs and priorities. CLG, through annual expenditure returns and quarterly Supporting People local systems data monitor the expenditure and number of available services funded from the Supporting People programme.
	Based on the expenditure information provided annually by local authorities, expenditure on domestic violence services in England has increased each year in both monetary and percentage terms.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many refuges which formerly accepted only female domestic violence victims now accept both males and females.

Shahid Malik: The Department does not collect this information.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council on the closure of its domestic violence refuge.

Shahid Malik: None. The decision regarding the commissioning, procurement and provision of domestic violence services is a matter for local authorities.

Shelter: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 20 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, what public consultations Shelter has promoted with the funds provided by his Department.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1365W.

Social Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Home and Communities Agency on the takeover of equity stakes in registered social landlord developments; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: My Department has regular meetings at ministerial and official level with the Homes and Communities Agency. These meetings cover a broad range of topics relating to the Agency's remit. I have had no discussions with the Home and Communities Agency specifically on the takeover of equity stakes in registered social landlord developments.

Supporting People Programme

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department provided per participant under the Supporting People programme in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Shahid Malik: Supporting People funding is not allocated or monitored on a per participant basis.
	The Supporting People grant is allocated to top tier local authorities by using the Supporting People distribution formula. The distribution formula assesses relative need between authorities, mainly on the basis of the numbers of vulnerable people at risk, with allowances for levels of deprivation and cost differences. Therefore the distribution formula calculates 'target allocations' for each authority based on the level of need for housing related support.
	Local authorities submit an annual return on the total expenditure on Supporting People in the financial year. Local authorities also provide a quarterly snapshot of the number of household units available (i.e. the capacity of housing related support services).

Tenant Services Authority

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the terms of reference of the Tenant Services Authority's new advisory group on investigating new forms of tenancy and part-ownership are.

John Healey: The formation of an advisory group was announced by the chief executive officer of the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) at the National Housing Federation conference in September. The objective of the group is to review the needs of prospective tenants and the role of mutual and community forms of ownership in meeting those needs, while identifying options that may help meet the needs of people unable to access affordable housing in places they want to live and work.
	The terms of reference for this group are currently being developed.

Tony Clements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 655W, on Tony Clements, whether Mr. Tony Clements works with any Minister in his Department in a political advisory role; and what the  (a) terms and  (b) duration of his employment are.

Barbara Follett: Mr. Clements is employed as civil servant, and does not, therefore, work in a political advisory role. He has a one-year fixed-term contract, with standard terms and conditions.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets for numbers of additional Traveller pitches have been proposed in the most recent version of each regional spatial strategy; and what period of time is proposed for meeting this target in each such strategy.

Shahid Malik: The number of additional Gypsy and Traveller pitches needed in each region, and the proposed time frame, is as follows:
	
		
			  Draft regional spatial strategies 
			  Strategy  Time frame  Pitches 
			 North-West 2007-2021 1,390 
			 Yorkshire and Humber n/a Pitch figures being worked up 
			 West Midlands 2007-2017 1,183 
			 South-East 2006-2016 1,064 
			 South-West 2006-2011 1,634 
			 London 2007-2017 538 
		
	
	
		
			  Finalised regional spatial strategies 
			  Strategy  Time frame  Pitches 
			 East of England 2008-2021 1,237 
			 North-East 2008-2021 166 
			 North-West 2008-2021 No pitch figures 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2008-2026 255 
			 East Midlands 2009-2026 883 
			 South-East 2006-2026 No pitch figures 
			 London 2011-2031 No pitch figures

Travelling People: Racial Discrimination

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Travellers will be able to apply for grants from the Tackling Race Inequalities Fund.

Shahid Malik: Yes. The Tackling Race Inequalities Fund (TRIF) was announced in February 2009, to support third sector organisations working to tackle race inequalities (and promote equality of opportunity for people of all ethnic groups). My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced the 27 third sector organisations on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 119WS. Two of these organisations (The Rural Media Company and Friends, Families and Travellers) will be working with the Gypsy, Roma and Travellers communities. The grant funding is for two years until the end of March 2011.

Valuation Office: Surveillance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency has undertaken surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Barbara Follett: The Valuation Office Agency has not undertaken any surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 since the Act came into force.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Asbestos: Licensing

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 553W, on asbestos: documents, 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of electronic files held since 1984 were retained after the seven-year review held in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive's document retention policy;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of paper files held since 1984 were retained after the nine-year review held in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive's document retention policy.

Jim Knight: The information is not readily available in an accessible format and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate time and cost.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on advertising in each newspaper in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to have the desired effect they must be communicated effectively while representing value to the taxpayer. We want everyone to claim all the help they are entitled to.
	The DWP provides services for over 20 million people, from helping the most vulnerable pensioners to getting people back to work and much of this Department's communications activity is aimed at raising awareness of these vital services and entitlements. Our communications also contribute to the Department's work to tackle benefit fraud.
	The channels used for advertising in the media are firstly via the advertising and media buying roster of the Central Office of Information (COI) for campaign and editorial requirements, and, secondly, via local and national newspapers for recruitment and low value, low complexity adverts on behalf of DWP agencies.
	The Department's spend on newspaper advertising for 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  Spend on newspaper advertising for 2008-09 
			   Total value (£ million) 
			 Central Office of Information (COI) 4.12 
			 DWP Direct Advertising 1.11 
			  Note: Costs given are for media spend only and exclude the cost of creative work, research, production of supporting materials or launch events.  Sources: 1. Central Office of Information source-COI 28 September 2009 2. DWP direct advertising source-DWP Commercial Intelligence 
		
	
	We are not able to provide the breakdown of costs by publication as we use so many that we would incur disproportionate cost in trying to identify each individual publication listed in the spend data files.

Employment and Support Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average time taken to process  (a) an employment support allowance (ESA) claim where a medical certificate was required and  (b) an ESA claim where a repeat or duplicate request for a medical certificate was made was in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by benefit delivery centre;
	(2)  how many requests have been made for medical certificates for the purpose of processing employment support allowance (ESA) claims in the most recent period for which figures are available; and how many duplicate or repeat requests have been made for medical certificates for the purpose of processing ESA claims, broken down by benefit delivery centre in each case.

Jonathan R Shaw: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what the average time taken to process (a) an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claim where a medical certificate was required and (b) an ESA claim where a repeat or duplicate request for a medical certificate was made in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by benefit delivery centre; and how many requests have been made for medical certificates for the purpose of processing Employment and Support Allowance claims in the most recent period for which figures are available; and how many duplicate or repeat requests have been made for medical certificates for the purpose of processing ESA claims, broken down by benefit delivery centre in each case. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Performance against our average processing time targets are published on the Jobcentre Plus external website. The clearance times for Employment and Support Allowance are not yet part of Jobcentre Plus's targets. They will form part of the published target suite from April 2010 and will be placed on the website shortly afterwards.
	The reason for the delay in publishing the official figures is because it is necessary for Jobcentre Plus to first collect an appropriate amount of performance data with which to inform and set a relevant target level.
	We are currently exploring whether we can develop some official statistics on processing times for Employment and Support Allowance new claims in the near future.
	Jobcentre Plus does not collate any information on requests for medical certificates so we are unable to supply the information requested with relevance to this element.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of those who stopped claiming employment and support allowance before their assessment was completed were  (a) in work,  (b) claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) and  (c) not recorded as being in work or claiming JSA up to the end of August 2009.

Jim Knight: holding answer 21 October 2009
	The information is not available in the form requested. However, statistics published last week showed that between October 2008 and February 2009 38 per cent. of new claimants to employment and support allowance stopped claiming benefit before the work capability assessment in their case was completed.

Employment Schemes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the eligibility criteria are for individuals seeking to be referred to  (a) Workstep,  (b) the Job Introduction Scheme and  (c) Work Preparation.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 October 2009
	To be eligible for Workstep an individual must be disabled, as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This Act defines a disabled person as someone who has 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day to day activities'. In addition, Workstep customers must also fall within one of the Workstep eligibility codes. This information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Workstep eligibility codes 
			  Code  Details 
			 A On incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance/national insurance credits only and/or income support, or on employment and support allowance 
			   
			 B On jobseeker's allowance and/or national insurance credits only, for six months or more in a current or 'linked' job seeking period 
			   
			 C On jobseeker's allowance, and/or national insurance credits only, for less than six months but have been in receipt of incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance, immediately before claiming jobseeker's allowance 
			   
			 D A former supported employee who has progressed but needs to return to the programme within two years or has left for any other reasons and returns within one year 
			   
			 E Currently in work but at serious risk of losing their job as a result of disability, even after the employer has made all reasonable adjustments and considered other available support options 
			   
			 F A recent/prospective education leaver who does not fall within Codes A to E above, but for whom there is clear evidence of a need for support in work 
			   
			 G A customer who has been granted access to Workstep through a discretionary decision, where a full business case has been sent to the Jobcentre Plus district third party provision manager and approval has been granted 
			   
			 H A customer who is receiving a war disablement pension or help from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme 
			  Note:  Two or more job seeking periods can be 'linked' and treated as one if they are separated only by: a linked period (for any length of time) comprising incapacity benefit, invalid care allowance, maternity allowance or training allowance; a break in an individual's claim, where the claim is terminated for not more than 12 weeks between any two linked job seeking periods; any length of time spent on jury service.   Source:  Jobcentre Plus Workstep Programme Guidance, Chapter 3, Eligibility and Referrals. 
		
	
	Disability employment advisers also have the discretion to refer a disabled person to a suitable provider if they are satisfied that all other options have been considered and that Workstep is the most appropriate option.
	The Job Introduction Scheme is available in cases where an employer or their prospective employee has genuine concerns about the individual's ability to manage the job due to their disability. For the Job Introduction Scheme to be considered, the applicant must be 'disabled' as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The job can be full or part-time, must be expected to last for at least six months (including the Job Introduction Scheme period) and must be a genuine job (not specifically created to take advantage of the Job Introduction Scheme). Applicants do not need to be in receipt of any eligible benefits to apply.
	In order to benefit from Work Preparation programmes, customers must be unemployed and:
	be on the disability employment adviser's caseload, regardless of employment or benefit status;
	have a defined job goal;
	have disability-related needs when making a final choice of occupation or looking for work effectively;
	be likely to be capable of working or undertaking training by the end of the programme;
	be at least 16 years old.
	The programme may also be able to help customers to retain their current work, where there is a real risk of the customer losing their job and Work Preparation will significantly help them to retain the same job or move to a more suitable alternative job.

Financial Assistance Scheme: Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many convictions for offences of fraud in relation to  (a) the Financial Assistance Scheme and  (b) the Pension Protection Fund there have been in (i) England and Wales, (ii) the East of England, (iii) Essex and (iv) Castle Point constituency in each year since the inception of each scheme.

Angela Eagle: There have been no convictions relating to fraud committed in relation to the Financial Assistance Scheme or the Pensions Protection Fund since their inception.

Future Jobs Fund: Brighton

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people in Brighton and Hove she expects to receive assistance from the Future Jobs Fund.

Jim Knight: Successful bids to the Future Jobs Fund to date will create around 130 jobs in the Brighton and Hove area. This includes jobs to be created via successful bids from the National Skills Academy for Sports and the Football League Trust. As the bidding process is ongoing, we may receive other bids to create jobs in the Brighton and Hove Area.
	 Source:
	Future Jobs Fund Management Information.

Future Jobs Fund: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs she expects to be created under the Future Jobs Fund in  (a) Tamworth,  (b) Staffordshire and  (c) the West Midlands in the next 12 months; and what types of job she expects to be created.

Jim Knight: The first round of awards for the Future Jobs Fund are initially for delivery over a six-month period.
	There are no specific bids for Tamworth, as yet.
	The joint bid for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent is currently creating 524 jobs between October 2009 and March 2010. National bids may also create jobs in this area.
	The following table has the number of jobs expected to be created in the West Midlands:
	
		
			  Jobs created under the Future Jobs Fund 
			  First round bidders in West Midlands  October 2009-March 2010 
			 Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country 3,552 
			 Stoke-on-Trent City Council 524 
			 St. Paul's Community Development Trust 100 
			 Warwickshire County Council 73 
			 Herefordshire Council 54 
			 Shropshire County Council (Training) 60 
			 Total 4,363 
			  Notes: 1. The first round of awards are initially for delivery over a six-month period. 2. The types of jobs that are being created include: Green Jobs/Environmental Improvement/Sustainability Health/Social Care/Education/Children's Care Youth work Arts/Enterprise Housing/Construction - low carbon economy Administration/Business/Enterprise Community/Voluntary Leisure/Tourism/Hospitality

Fylde

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed in each section of her Department in the Borough of Fylde in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The number of people employed in each of the Department's business areas in the Borough of Fylde at 31 March of each year from 2005 to 2009 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Headcount  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Borough of Fylde  
			 Jobcentre Plus 681 542 519 385 169 
			 Pensions, Disability and Carers Service(1) 169 140 102 83 38 
			 Child Support Agency(2) 382 371 365 260 0 
			 Corporate and Shared Services 489 340 199 147 457 
			 Total 1,721 1,393 1,185 875 664 
			 (1) The Pensions Disability and Carers Service was formed in 2008 by the merger of The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service. For consistency the figures have been combined for earlier years also. (2) The Child Support Agency transferred to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on 1 November 2008. Figures shown are on the basis of headcount i.e. the number of individual staff employed. The increase in the Corporate and Shared Services area between 2008 and 2009 and reductions in Jobcentre Plus and Pensions, Disability and Carers Service are largely the result of a transfer of staff from delivery businesses as part of a restructuring of the Information Technology function.

Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit claimants there were in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of housing benefit recipients in Great Britain : May 1997 to May 2007 
			   Number 
			 1997 4,639,350 
			 1998 4,474,700 
			 1999 4,313,100 
			 2000 4,033,300 
			 2001 3,874,400 
			 2002 3,812,630 
			 2003 3,796,420 
			 2004 3,879,420 
			 2005 3,956,820 
			 2006 3,990,030 
			 2007 4,031,810 
			  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. taken in May 1997 to May 2007 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of housing benefit recipients in Great Britain November 2008 and May 2009 
			   Number 
			 2008 4,168,610 
			 2009 4,403,980 
			  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) for November 2008 and May 2009 taken from Table 2 of publication at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/HBCTB19082009.xls

Incapacity Benefit

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of completed work capability assessments have involved former claimants of incapacity benefit; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 October 2009
	National level statistics on the Work Capability Assessment covering Great Britain were published on 13 October 2009 and are available via the Office for National Statistics Publication Hub. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library and can be accessed directly on the following website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca.asp
	Full benefit information for completed Work Capability Assessments is not available as some assessments cannot yet be linked to an Employment and Support Allowance claim. The volume and percentage of all Employment and Support Allowance new claims from October 2008 to February 2009 that have completed the Work Capability Assessment with an incapacity benefit claim in the previous two years are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of employment and support allowance new claims from October 2008 to February 2009 completing the work capability assessment with an incapacity benefit claim in the two years prior to the employment and support allowance claim 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Total 20,400 - 
			 Percentage - 20 
			  Notes: 1. These data are based on recorded advice from ATOS, rather than the Decision Maker's final determination. The final outcomes of cases may change. This will be further compounded by reconsiderations following additional medical evidence and the outcomes of appeals. Full guidance on the national figures is included in the published statistics referred to in the table. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Incapacity Benefit

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people  (a) in total,  (b) aged 18 to 24,  (c) aged 25 to 49 and  (d) aged 50 years and over who made a new claim for (i) incapacity benefit and (ii) employment and support allowance in the most recent year for which figures are available in (A) Pathways to Work Jobcentre Plus-led areas and (B) Pathways to Work-led areas were in work (1) six months and (2) one year later.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 September 2009
	The information requested is not available.

Incapacity Benefit: Mentally Ill

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the likely impact on the mental health of people in receipt of incapacity benefit due to mental health problems of proposals to change eligibility for incapacity benefit.

Jonathan R Shaw: Several steps have been taken to mitigate any stress caused to those with mental health conditions upon entering the claim process for employment and support allowance.
	The questionnaire that most customers will fill in when they claim employment and support allowance (the ESA50) has been redesigned to make it more customer-friendly. We have improved the wording, lay-out and design of the form. The questionnaire used for the previous assessment did not fully take into account the cognitive functions of people with learning disabilities and other conditions such as brain damage, that are not mental health problems. The new questionnaire also includes the opportunity for individuals to detail fluctuations in the nature of their condition. Where customers suffer from mental health conditions, the claim will be progressed even if the questionnaire is not completed.
	Every month a customer satisfaction survey is sent at random to a large number of customers. This ensures an ongoing assessment of the customer experience and highlights any areas in need of review and improvement.
	In addition, to protect our most vulnerable customers, Jobcentre Plus has ensured that safeguards are embedded into the design and delivery of employment and support allowance. These safeguards ensure that where a customer has a mental health condition, and fails to comply with the Work Capability Assessment processes, benefit will not be withdrawn until their responsibilities have been explained to them either by telephone contact or a home visit.

Industrial Injuries Scheme: Knees

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account her Department takes of the participation of miners in industrial action in 1984 and 1985 when reckoning service in order to determine the compensation payable for  (a) miners' beat knee and  (b) osteoarthritis of the knee.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 October 2009
	 Periods of industrial action in 1984 and 1985 are not relevant in considering entitlement to PD A6 (Beat Knee).
	For osteoarthritis of the knee, periods of industrial action exceeding three months in 1984 and 1985 do not qualify as time spent underground and therefore do not count towards the 10 year qualifying period.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the revenue guaranteed by the Jobseekers Direct telephone line in 2009-10.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions does not receive any revenue from the Jobseekers Direct telephone line.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of a work trial undertaken by a jobseeker's allowance claimant was in each of the last 24 months.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information that is available is in the following table:
	
		
			  Duration of completed work trials by  jobseeker's allowance  customers April 2009  to  September 2009 
			   0-7 days duration  8-21 days duration  22+ days duration 
			 April 587 350 52 
			 May 974 471 74 
			 June 847 390 61 
			 July 1,234 515 94 
			 August 867 364 89 
			 September 995 444 99 
			  Note: The totals of the in-month figures are lower than the cumulative number of Work Trials completed. This is because the in-month figures are a snapshot taken on a particular date in the month, whereas the cumulative total figure reflects subsequent Work Trials that took place.  Source: BOXI Management Information

Jobseeker's Allowance: Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants aged  (a) 18 to 24 and  (b) 25 to 59 years old in each region have completed a work trial in each of the last 24 months; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: 11,239 work trials have been completed by jobseeker's allowance customers from April 2009 to September 2009. The totals of the in-month figures are considerably lower than the total number of work trials completed. This is because the in-month figures are a snapshot taken on a particular date in the month, whereas the total figure reflects subsequent work trials that took place.
	The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information that is available is in the following table:
	
		
			  Work trial:  jobse eker's allowance completers April 2009 to September 2009 
			  Region  April  May  June  July  August  September 
			 East Midlands 81 82 92 120 117 84 
			 East of England 18 53 31 41 31 49 
			 London 144 238 144 259 194 272 
			 North East 86 151 93 125 73 111 
			 North West 132 195 158 239 162 170 
			 Office for Scotland 170 231 215 210 126 189 
			 Office for Wales 46 53 54 81 58 66 
			 South East 49 76 120 238 145 182 
			 South West 26 56 87 117 59 67 
			 West Midlands 93 99 122 156 156 150 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 144 285 182 257 199 198 
			  Source: BOXI Management Information

Jobseeker's Allowance: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what average length of time a claimant received jobseeker's allowance in North East Fife constituency in  (a) each of the last 12 months and  (b) each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Average length of tim e a claimant received jobseeker' s allowance in North East Fife constituency in each of the last 12 months 
			   Median ( n umber of  w eeks) 
			 October 2008 7.0 
			 November 2008 6.7 
			 December 2008 6.3 
			 January 2009 7.6 
			 February 2009 10.4 
			 March 2009 9.1 
			 April 2009 8.2 
			 May 2009 11.4 
			 June 2009 10.9 
			 July 2009 12.5 
			 August 2009 9.1 
			 September 2009 10.8 
			  Source:  DWP WPLS 100 per cent. data 
		
	
	
		
			  Average length of time a claimant received jobseeker ' s allowance in North East Fife constituency in each of the last five years 
			  October to September each year  (Inclusive)  Median ( number of weeks ) 
			 2004-05 9.0 
			 2005-06 10.9 
			 2006-07 10.9 
			 2007-08 8.9 
			 2008-09 9.1 
			  Notes: 1. Data are published at www.nomisweb.co.uk 2. Median, rather than arithmetic mean, is the preferred measure of average for skewed distributions such as duration of claim  Source:  DWP WPLS 100 per cent. data

Jobseeker's Allowance: Forest of Dean

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of jobseeker's allowance in the Forest of Dean constituency were aged between  (a) 18 and 24,  (b) 25 and 49 and  (c) 50 and 64 on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many and what proportion of such claimants in each age group had been claiming the allowance for (i) under three months, (ii) between three and six months, (iii) between six and 12 months, (iv) between one and two years, (v) between two and five years and (vi) five years and over.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply to the hon. Member. A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency in Wales had been claiming the allowance for  (a) up to three,  (b) between three and six,  (c) between six and 12 and  (d) between 12 and 24 months in each of the last 18 months; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency in Wales had been claiming the allowance for (a) up to three, (b) between three and six, (c) between six and 12 and (d) between 12 and 24 months in each of the last 18 months. (294067).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. Table 1 shows the number of computerised claims of Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for people, aged 16 or over resident in each parliamentary constituency in Wales, by duration of the claim for each of the last 18 months. Table 2 shows the percentage of all claimants in each constituency by duration of the claim. As the information provided is extensive, a copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Members: Correspondence

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects to provide a full response to the letter of 25 June 2009 from Mrs. Kathleen Law.

Jim Knight: Mrs. Law wrote directly to the Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society on 25 June 2009 concerning the scheme rules for the Local Government Pension Scheme. As this matter falls within the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government, Mrs. Law's letter was forwarded to that Department on 6 October 2009 to address the issues raised. I apologise to the hon. Member and to Mrs. Law for the delay in doing so.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to reply to the letter dated 1 September 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton concerning Ms Louise Bolotin.

Jim Knight: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 20 October 2009.

Mortgages: Income Support

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each London borough have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in each quarter since the scheme's inception; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This information is not available at this level of detail.

National Strategy for Mental Health and Employment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects to publish the National Strategy for Mental Health and Employment; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 20 October 2009
	We recognise the particular employment challenges faced by people who have mental health conditions and the importance of promoting good mental health and well-being across the whole population from early years and throughout working lives. We have been working across Government to develop the national mental health and employment strategy to address both of these issues. It is now nearing readiness, and will be published later this year.

New Deal Schemes: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged between 18 and 24 years old resident in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency have received assistance under the New Deal since 2003; and how many such people have moved into employment.

Jim Knight: 5,980 individuals had received assistance under the New Deal for Young People in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency up to May 2009, the latest date for which figures are available. There were 2,130 moves from the New Deal for Young People into work involving 1,880 individuals up to February 2009, which is the latest date for which figures are available. The figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and are available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/tabtool-nd.asp
	 Notes:
	The Westminster Parliamentary Constituency (post May 2005) is allocated using the ONS Postcode Directory and customer's postcode.
	Latest New Deal joiners data is to May 2009.
	Latest New Deal leavers data is to February 2009.
	An individual may have more than one spell on NDYP.
	'Individuals' is the number of people to have begun one or more spells on New Deal for Young People.
	 Source:
	The Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

New Deal Schemes: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency have participated in a New Deal scheme in each year since 2004.

Jim Knight: The table shows the number of starters on New Deals in the Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency since 2004. The information recorded in the following table shows the number of spells started with the New Deal schemes, rather then the number of individuals involved:
	
		
			  Year of starting  Total starters (spells)( 1) 
			 2004(2) 1,670 
			 2005 1,480 
			 2006 1,630 
			 2007 1,770 
			 2008 1,750 
			 2009(3) 790 
			 (1) Starters (spells) data are not available for New Deal 50 Plus or New Deal for Partners so Starters (individuals) data have been used instead for these schemes. This means that for these schemes only the most recent spell on that New Deal is recorded. (2) Data for New Deal for Partners are available from April 2004 (programme started in May 1999). (3) Data are available to May 2009.  Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. The Westminster Parliamentary Constituency (post May 2005) is allocated using the ONS Postcode Directory and customer's postcode. The year of starting is the calendar year of starting the New Deal.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate, information available at:  http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/tabtool_nd.asp

New Deal Schemes: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people resident in Enfield North constituency found work through the New Deal in each year since 2001.

Jim Knight: The table shows the number of job starts by disabled people in the Enfield North constituency who have found work through the New Deal for Disabled People since 1998. Some individuals may have had more than one job start.
	
		
			   Job starts 
			 1998 (1)- 
			 1999 (1)- 
			 2000 (1)- 
			 2001 (1)- 
			 2002 10 
			 2003 10 
			 2004 20 
			 2005 20 
			 2006 30 
			 2007 40 
			 2008 20 
			 2009 (1)- 
			 (1 )Nil or negligible.   Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Westminster Parliamentary Constituency (post May 2005) is allocated using the ONS Postcode Directory and customer's postcode.  3. Year of entering job is the calendar year that the job was gained.  4. Latest data are for February 2009.   Source:  The Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate. The figures are available at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any of her Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Jim Knight: None of the Department for Work and Pensions' non-departmental public bodies has sent representatives to attend political party conferences in 2009.

Pension Credit: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Mid Bedfordshire constituency receive pension credit.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			   Households in receipt of pension credit  Individual beneficiaries of pension credit 
			 Mid-Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency 2,730 3,370 
			  Notes:  1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  3. Number of beneficiaries-pension credit is claimed on a household basis and therefore the number of people that pension credit helps is the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are also claiming.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Pension Credit: Derbyshire

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire are receiving pension credit.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			   Households in receipt of pension credit  Individual beneficiaries of pension credit 
			 County of Derbyshire 34,670 42,990 
			 North East Derbyshire parliamentary constituency 4,560 5,740 
			  Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. Number of beneficiaries-pension credit is claimed on a household basis and therefore the number of people that pension credit helps is the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are also claiming.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pensioners: Fuel Poverty

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of people aged over  (a) 65 and  (b) 85 years in (i) Vale of York constituency, (ii) North Yorkshire and (iii) England who are living in fuel poverty.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	Fuel poverty is measured at household level rather than at individual level.
	The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2006, and shows that there were around 4,800 fuel poor households in the Vale of York constituency and around 34,600 fuel poor households in North Yorkshire. Sub-regional fuel poverty figures are not available split by age.
	More recent figures are available for England and the regions. These show that in 2007, there were around 333,000 fuel poor households in Yorkshire and the Humber and 2.8 million fuel poor households in England. The following table provides figures split by age.
	
		
			  Fuel poor households with:  Yorkshire and the Humber  England 
			 A member aged over 65 years 147,000 1,183,000 
			 A member aged over 85 years 13,000 144,000

Pensioners: Overseas Residence

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK pensioners are domiciled overseas.

Angela Eagle: As at February 2009, there were 1,126,000 individuals who were paid a UK state pension outside the UK.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures do not include Northern Ireland cases.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	 Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Pensioners: Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners have been defined as living in absolute poverty in  (a) the North East and  (b) the UK in each year since 2005-06.

Angela Eagle: Estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information for the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside region is not available.
	The Government use a basket of three key thresholds of income, after housing costs, to measure pensioner poverty. Absolute poverty is referred to as 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median income uprated in line with prices.
	Latest information for the north-east Government office region, is based on three year averages and is provided in Table 1 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1. Number and percentage of pensioners falling below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median household income (uprated in line with prices), after housing costs, in the north-east Government office region, since 1997( 1) 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 1995-98 200,000 37 
			 1996-99 200,000 33 
			 1997-2000 100,000 30 
			 1998-01 100,000 26 
			 1999-02 100,000 20 
			 2000-03 100,000 14 
			 2001-04 0 10 
			 2002-05 0 8 
			 2003-06 0 7 
			 2004-07 0 6 
			 2005-08 0 7 
			 (1) Information is in three year averages.   Note:  Family expenditure survey figures are for the United Kingdom, family resources survey figures are for Great Britain up to 1997-98, and for the United Kingdom from 1998-99, with estimates for Northern Ireland imputed for the years 1998-99 through 2001-02. The reference period for FRS figures is single financial years. 
		
	
	Latest information for the UK is provided in Table 2 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 2. Number and percentage of pensioners falling below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median household income (uprated in line with prices), after housing costs, in the UK since 1997 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 1997-98 3,000,000 31 
			 1998-99 2,900,000 29 
			 1999-2000 2,500,000 25 
			 2000-01 2,000,000 20 
			 2001-02 1,500,000 14 
			 2002-03 1,200,000 12 
			 2003-04 1,100,000 10 
			 2004-05 900,000 8 
			 2005-06 800,000 8 
			 2006-07 1,100,000 10 
			 2007-08 1,000,000 9 
			  Notes:  1. FES figures are for the United Kingdom, FRS figures are for Great Britain up to 1997-98, and for the United Kingdom from 1998-99, with estimates for Northern Ireland imputed for the years 1998-99 through 2001-02. The reference period for FRS figures is single financial years.  2. Small changes in estimates from year to year, particularly at the bottom of the income distribution, may not be significant in view of data uncertainties.  3. Due to rounding, the estimates of change in percentages of pensioners below low-income thresholds may not equal the difference between the total percentage of pensioners below thresholds for any pair of years shown.

Pensioners: Poverty

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government have taken in response to the recommendations in the Work and Pensions Select Committee report on Tackling Pensioner Poverty published in July 2009.

Angela Eagle: The Government have provided a response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee report on Tackling Pensioner Poverty. This was published by the Committee on 19 October 2009 and is available on the UK Parliament website at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/work_and_pensions_committee/wappnl 9102009_.cfm
	This Government have made significant progress in tackling pensioner poverty and this remains one of the Government's key priorities.

Pensions: Females

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the percentage of women retiring in (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2012-13 and  (c) 2014-15 who will be entitled to a full basic state pension; and if she will estimate for those who will not receive a full pension what their average percentage contribution record will have been in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The 2007 Pensions Act reforms to basic state pension will mean that over 90 per cent. of women reaching state pension age from 2025 will qualify for a full basic state pension. In 2010-11 this proportion will rise to around 75 per cent. from around 45 per cent. today. Thereafter we expect the proportion to rise more gradually.
	Where available the information requested is given in the following table. An estimate of the average percentage contribution record for women not entitled to a full basic state pension reaching state pension age in the years requested is not available; information relating to the expected level of entitlement has been provided instead.
	
		
			  Proportion of women reaching state pension age in the given year by their estimated level of entitlement to basic state pension 
			  Percentage 
			  Level of basic state pension entitlement  2010-11  2012-13  2014-15 
			 100 Around 75 Around 80 Around 85 
			 61 to 99 Around 15 Around 10 Under 10 
			 60 and less Around 10 Under 10 Under 10 
			  Notes:  1. This table shows the proportion of people reaching SPA entitled to BSP at SPA, i.e. around 75 per cent. of females reaching SPA in 2010 are projected to be entitled to full BSP.  2. Women's entitlement is based on their own contributions and on their husband's contributions where the inheritance and substitution provisions apply for widows and divorced women.  3. Includes deferrers. Figures refer to percentage entitlement not to percentage of those in receipt of full BSP. Some people may be entitled but not be in receipt of a pension because they have chosen to defer their entitlement.  4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 per cent.   Source:  Projections from DWP Forecasting Division using the Government Actuary's Department's Retirement Pension Model; Great Britain only.

Poverty: Children

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government is taking to address levels of child poverty.

Helen Goodman: Changes to tax, benefits and back to work help in the last decade have lifted 500,000 children out of relative poverty and halved absolute child poverty. Had we simply adjusted 1997 measures in line with prices around 2.1 million more children might live in poverty today. Measures in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 500,000 children out of poverty by 2010. Our Child Poverty Bill, now in Parliament, will commit Government to its eradication by 2020.

Social Security Benefits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many adults under the age of 30 years are receiving benefits from her Department.

Jim Knight: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Total number (expressed in thousands) of adults under 30 claiming key DWP benefits by statistical group-as at February 2009 
			  Statistical group  Number 
			 Jobseeker 637.82 
			 ESA and incapacity benefit 320.42 
			 Lone parent 319.01 
			 Carer 39.79 
			 Others on income related benefit 45.92 
			 Disabled 106.75 
			 Bereaved 0.55 
			 Total 1,470.26 
			  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Councillors

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance her Department provides on the eligibility of local authority councillors for  (a) welfare benefits and  (b) jobseeker's allowance.

Jim Knight: Detailed guidance on the rules of eligibility of local authority councillors for all Department for Work and Pensions administered social security benefits is provided in the Decision Makers Guide, a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library and which is also available on the internet at
	www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/decision-makers-guide/
	Detailed guidance on the rules of eligibility of local authority councillors for housing benefit and council tax benefit is provided in the Housing Benefit Guidance Manual, a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library and which is also available on the internet at
	www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/housing-benefit/claims-processing/operational-manuals/housing-benefit-guidance/

State Retirement Pensions: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Mid Bedfordshire constituency were in receipt of a state pension in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of recipients of state pension in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency 
			 2007 16,490 
			 2008 17,110 
			 2009 17,600 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are as at February for the years shown. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has been applied. 3. Constituency is for the Westminster Parliament.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Winter Fuel Payments: Derbyshire

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire received winter fuel allowance in 2008-09.

Angela Eagle: For winter 2008-09, the number of people who received winter fuel payments in Derbyshire was 175,520. The number of people who received winter fuel payments in the constituency of North East Derbyshire was 23,160.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. data.

Winter Fuel Payments: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for winter fuel payments from residents of  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) the East of England were subject to inaccurate data handling by the Pension Service resulting in an extension of prioritising time in the winter of 2007-08.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Tuberculosis Screening: Migrants

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether migrants to the UK are tested for latent tuberculosis as part of the pre-entry screening programme for tuberculosis.

Phil Woolas: Pre-entry screening tests are conducted in order to detect tuberculosis. Latent or inactive infections very rarely develop active tuberculosis. It is when the infection is active that tuberculosis is highly infectious.
	There are presently no widely accepted scientific methods for detecting latent tuberculosis.

Proceeds of Crime: Victim Support

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the proceeds of crime recovered by police forces are allocated to fund support services for victims of crime.

Alan Campbell: Earlier this month my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced details of local projects to be funded under the new £4 million Community Cashback scheme which gave local communities a say on how recovered criminal assets are spent. 11 projects are being funded which are victim-related. In addition £11 million from confiscated proceeds was paid last year as compensation to victims.

National Prison Intelligence Unit

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of police forces to the work of the National Prison Intelligence Unit; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The National Prison Intelligence Unit (NPIU) was established in July 2007 to work with prison establishments to assess and counter the spread of violent extremism in prisons.
	The effectiveness of measures to manage the risks of violent extremism in prisons are assessed on a regular basis.

Asylum Applications

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken to process an application for asylum.

Phil Woolas: In December we met our targets to conclude 60 per cent. of new cases within six months. That means not only that decisions were taken early but that in a significant proportion of refusals, removal from the UK was affected within six months of application.
	In 1997 it took on average 22 months merely to reach an initial decision. We can only speculate how much longer than that it was taking to remove those who were refused at that time.

Asylum Applications

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the average time taken to process an application for asylum.

Phil Woolas: In December we met our targets to conclude 60 per cent. of new cases within six months. That means not only that decisions were taken early but that in a significant proportion of refusals, removal from the UK was affected within six months of application.
	In 1997 it took on average 22 months merely to reach an initial decision. We can only speculate how much longer than that it was taking to remove those who were refused at that time.

Immigration Policy

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he takes of potential demographic changes in the UK in formulating his policy on immigration.

Phil Woolas: The Government have mechanisms in place which are controlling the number of people coming to the UK to work and study through the points based system.
	We are also consulting on a new points test for citizenship which will break the link between coming to the UK to work or study on a temporary basis and permanent settlement.
	The figures published by the Office of National Statistics last week are projections and as they themselves say they do not take into account the reforms the Government have made to the immigration system. As the ONS points out, they are projections, based on previous years' trends, not forecasts.

Sharia Councils

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the effect of the operation of Sharia councils on the policing of community relations.

David Hanson: Sharia law is not part of the law of the United Kingdom and the Government have no intention of making any change to that position. The police service engages with all members of the community, inclusive of all backgrounds, and works in partnership with other community safety agencies to address the policing priorities for local areas.

Migrants

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many migrants were given permission to remain in the UK in  (a) 1996 and  (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The number of persons granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom was:
	 (a) 61,730 in 1996; and
	 (b) 148,740 in 2008.

Human Trafficking

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to tackle human trafficking.

Alan Campbell: The Government have a detailed Action Plan to tackle human trafficking, based on: prevention, enforcement prosecution and investigation, protection and support of adult victims and child trafficking.
	We published the most recent update to the plan on 19 October.

Analgesics: Licensing

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been issued for the manufacture of analgesics from poppies in the UK in the last three years.

Alan Campbell: One company in the UK is licensed, on an annual basis, to manufacture drugs, used in the production of analgesics, from poppies.

Animal Experiments

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensed procedures were carried out on live animals for the purposes of testing household products in each year since 2002-03.

Meg Hillier: The number of scientific procedures started on living animals in Great Britain in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 for toxicology or other safety/efficacy evaluation in relation to substances used in the household, was, respectively 1,032, 234, 272, 21, 0, 1, 132.
	The available information is published in table 9 (previously table 10) in the Department's annual publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain, copies of which are available from the Library of the House and from the Department's website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/scientific1.html

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation he has made of the cost-effectiveness of the application of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs); and what recent discussions he has had with  (a) local authorities and  (b) housing associations on the effect of the use of ASBOs on community cohesion.

Alan Campbell: A Home Office research study carried out in 2004 showed that the cost of obtaining an Anti-social behaviour Order (ASBO) had significantly reduced since 2002 when this was previously assessed. Local agencies using Anti-social behaviour Orders (ASBOs) find them cost effective. The cost of not taking action is much higher.
	Since ASBOs were introduced in 1998 there have been real changes in how people feel about anti-social behaviour: 17 per cent. of people felt that levels of ASB in their areas were high in 2008-09 compared to 21 per cent. in 2002-03. The tools and powers introduced by this Government over the last 11 years are working: the 2006 National Audit Office report on anti-social behaviour found that 93 per cent. of people desisted from ASB after the third intervention.

Burglary: Crime Prevention

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have obtained his Department's free burglary prevention advice pack since its launch in April 2009; and how many people have redeemed the discount vouchers included in that pack.

Alan Campbell: Since the launch of the 'Secure Your Home' burglary prevention advice pack in April:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Sent directly to members of the public through the action line 10,304 
			 To police forces in England and Wales to distribute to victims of burglary, their neighbours and others at most risk 329,088 
			 Total 339,392 
		
	
	No data are available yet on how many discount vouchers have been redeemed. We are continuing to talk to the three DIY stores who provided the vouchers to obtain these figures.

Closed Circuit Television

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV surveillance cameras funded by  (a) public and  (b) private sources there are in England and Wales.

Alan Campbell: The information is not held centrally. I refer to the reply given to the hon. Member on 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 906W in which I indicated that between 1999 and 2003, £170 million of Home Office capital funding under the Crime Reduction Programme was made available to local authorities for investment in public space CCTV.
	Around 680 CCTV town centre schemes were set up with this funding. Local authorities benefit from Area Based Grant that allows them to spend on CCTV and other areas as they see fit to support the delivery of local, regional and national priorities in their area.

Crime

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of  (a) alcohol-related crime and  (b) drug-related crime were recorded in (i) England, (ii) London, (iii) Richmond-upon-Thames and (iv) Twickenham constituency in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The data requested on incidents are not collected centrally. However, the British Crime Survey provides figures for violent incidents where the victim believes the offender was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 3.16: Violent incidents where the victim believed the offender(s) to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 1995 to 2008-09, BCS 
			  Percentages and numbers 
			 Statistically significant change 
			   1995  1997  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  1995 to 2008-09  2007-08 to 2008-09 
			  Proportion of all violent incidents( 1) 
			 Offender(s) perceived to be under the influence of:(2) 
			 Alcohol 41 43 48 45 51 49 45 46 46 47 * - 
			 Drugs 16 18 21 20 20 18 23 17 19 17 - - 
			 Unweighted base 1,078 915 1,285 1,397 1,398 1,455 1,512 1,658 1,477 1,449 - - 
			  
			  Number of violent incidents (Thousand) 
			 Offender(s) perceived to be under the influence of:(2) 
			 Alcohol 1,656 1,457 1,244 1,177 1,299 1,105 1,023 1,087 971 973 * - 
			 Drugs 655 603 549 544 474 390 531 398 390 334 * - 
			 Unweighted base 16,348 14,947 32,824 36,479 37,931 45,120 47,729 47,138 46,903 46,220 - - 
			 (1) 'All violence' includes wounding, assault with minor injury, assault without injury and robbery. See Section 5 of Volume 2 for more information.   (2) Questions asked only if the victim was able to say something about the offender(s), and if there was more than one offender, victims were asked if any of the offenders were perceived to be under the influence. Questions were not asked if any offenders were perceived to be under school age.   Note:  For an explanation of year-labels see 'Conventions Used in Figures and Tables' at the start of this volume.   Source:  Table 3.16 at the following link: http:/www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1109chap3.xls

Crime Prevention: Internet

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent from the public purse on the policing of online crime in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: The Government take online crime very seriously, and have provided funding for a number of specialist units to tackle this form of crime. The Government have provided over £6 million for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) this year to protect children online. The Government have provided £3.5 million over three years for the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) to develop the police response to cybercrime within the UK. The Government also fund the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) e-crime unit, as part of the overall funding for the Agency.

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff there were in his Department  (a) in 1997 and  (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Information on the number of staff in the Home Department in 1997 has been published by the Cabinet Office (Tables 1A-1D) and is available on-line at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/css97_tcm6-2540.pdf
	It should be noted that HM Prison Service is listed separately in this table but was part of the Home Office in 1997.
	The Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey statistics for June 2009 are published by ONS and are available on-line. This survey confirms that there are currently 24,640 civil servants working for the Home Office and its Agencies.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/Table6AllDepts.xls
	Employment numbers over the period will have been affected by machinery of Government changes.

Direct Selling

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an assessment of the merits of developing a password identification system to protect vulnerable people from bogus doorstep callers.

Alan Campbell: All electricity, gas and water companies have a doorstep password scheme which enables people to set up their own passwords to verify the identity of doorstep callers. I would encourage people to sign up to such schemes which can offer access to other services for vulnerable customers on the supplier's Priority Service Register.

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the records held on the National DNA Database relate to DNA samples taken by police forces in  (a) Scotland,  (b) England and Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland.

Alan Campbell: Table 1 shows the number and proportion of all subject profiles retained on the national DNA Database (NDNAD) taken by police forces in Scotland, England and Wales (including British Transport police), and Northern Ireland as at 15 October 2009.
	Table 2 shows the number and proportion of crime scene profiles retained on the NDNAD submitted by police forces in Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland as at 15 October 2009.
	The number of subject profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. A proportion of DNA profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded on more then one occasion (this may be because the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because of upgrading of profiles). It is currently estimated that 13.8 per cent. of profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. The replication rate of 13.8 per cent. should only be applied over the entire database however, as the replication rate for individual police forces varies considerably. The presence of these replicate profiles on the NDNAD does not impact on the effectiveness and integrity of the database.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Force  Number of subject profiles as at  15 October 2009  Number of individuals (estimated)  Proportion of total subject profiles held on the NDNAD (percentage) 
			 Scotland 271,693 - 4.6 
			 England and Wales, inc. BTP 5,532,847 - 93.6 
			 Northern Ireland 74,431 - 1.3 
			 Other(1) 31,201 - 0.5 
			 Total 5,910,172 5,094,568 100.0 
			 (1) For example, Guernsey police, Ministry of Defence police etc. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  Force  Number of crime scene profiles as at  15 October 2009  Proportion of crime scene profiles on the NDNAD (percentage) 
			 Scotland 13,153 3.6 
			 England and Wales, inc. BTP 351,367 95.6 
			 Northern Ireland 1,753 0.5 
			 Other(1) 1,262 0.3 
			 Total 367,535 100 
			 (1) For example, Guernsey police, Ministry of Defence police etc.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent trends he has identified in the prevalence of dog fighting in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage police forces to allocate adequate resources towards reducing the incidence of dog fighting.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	Our regular meetings with the RSPCA include reviewing dog fighting issues, which has long been an illegal activity. It is premature to speculate on the basis of the available evidence whether there have been any significant trends in the prevalence of dog fighting.
	However, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 updated and strengthened the law on animal fighting. The Act created separate offences for animal fighting and significantly increased the maximum financial penalties available to the courts for such offences. Anyone found guilty of an offence related to animal fighting is liable to a maximum fine of £20,000 (previously £5,000), or six months' imprisonment, or both.
	We have also recently published new guidance for the police on the enforcement of dangerous dogs law as well as provided the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) with £20,000 to assist in the training of police officers in the use of dangerous dogs law. The guidance and training includes the identification of illegal pit bull type dogs that are commonly used in dog fighting.
	The Home Office are legislating (in the Policing and Crime Bill) to create a new power to prevent gang-related violence. This will enable police or local authorities to ask the courts to prohibit gang members from doing a number of things, including being in charge of an animal in a public place.

Drug Interventions Programme

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of people arrested and tested under the Drug Interventions Programme were positive for  (a) heroin and  (b) crack cocaine in each police force area in each year since 2003.

Alan Johnson: The drug testing of offenders for specified Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine/crack) in police custody came into operation from 2003 across 30 Basic Command Units (BCUs) as part of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). Since that time the programme has expanded in a phased approach to 66 BCUs in 2004 and some 107 BCUs in 2005. DIP currently conducts drug testing in 109 BCUs across England and Wales.
	Only offenders arrested or charged with a trigger offence-largely acquisitive crime related offences-are required to provide a sample to be tested for specified Class A drugs.
	Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the number of positive tests under the Drug Interventions Programme for heroin only, cocaine only, and heroin and cocaine combined, for each financial year since data were available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Heroin only 
			  Force  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 223 213 408 319 334 
			 Bedfordshire 179 223 328 90 165 
			 Cambridgeshire 164 157 277 196 244 
			 City of London - - 124 84 102 
			 Cleveland 596 516 1,073 988 1,031 
			 Devon and Cornwall 222 160 126 79 55 
			 Greater Manchester 1,299 1,834 2,436 1,762 1,947 
			 Gwent - 39 111 87 180 
			 Humberside 510 545 871 663 878 
			 Lancashire 244 278 237 217 207 
			 Leicestershire 212 382 641 529 808 
			 Merseyside 480 361 521 705 1,175 
			 Metropolitan police 1,393 1,932 2,935 2,326 2,763 
			 North Wales 220 149 122 124 145 
			 Northamptonshire - 134 186 167 206 
			 Northumbria 591 750 1,426 1,108 1,106 
			 Nottinghamshire 558 953 1,617 989 852 
			 South Wales 1 499 557 532 678 
			 South Yorkshire 823 1,446 1,710 1,392 1,427 
			 Staffordshire 171 127 191 183 58 
			 Thames Valley 232 170 299 356 545 
			 West Midlands 898 2,157 3,063 2,571 2,746 
			 West Yorkshire 817 1,229 2,184 1,854 1,890 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Cocaine only (both powder cocaine and crack cocaine) 
			  Force  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 310 327 610 756 920 
			 Bedfordshire 156 333 667 429 371 
			 Cambridgeshire 58 69 114 190 223 
			 City of London - - 228 274 206 
			 Cleveland 271 274 696 1,011 994 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 37 26 47 41 
			 Greater Manchester 1,051 1,872 2,816 3,840 3,080 
			 Gwent - 58 64 90 86 
			 Humberside 223 188 431 583 565 
			 Lancashire 46 63 47 76 111 
			 Leicestershire 127 143 372 408 569 
			 Merseyside 584 516 1,401 2,781 3,396 
			 Metropolitan police 3,327 3,700 8,469 10,084 9,450 
			 North Wales 27 33 34 71 64 
			 Northamptonshire - 123 298 375 342 
			 Northumbria 210 391 1,091 1,140 1,208 
			 Nottinghamshire 355 647 1,350 1,377 1,215 
			 South Wales - 181 166 326 351 
			 South Yorkshire 381 656 906 1,425 1,298 
			 Staffordshire 48 39 51 66 25 
			 Thames Valley 292 359 658 1,012 914 
			 West Midlands 726 1,205 3,012 4,921 4,592 
			 West Yorkshire 358 620 1,909 3,165 3,116 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Both heroin and cocaine (both powder cocaine and crack cocaine) 
			  Force  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 609 697 1,335 1,402 1,194 
			 Bedfordshire 276 421 960 527 347 
			 Cambridgeshire 67 126 179 215 272 
			 City of London - - 361 350 206 
			 Cleveland 391 457 1,048 1,166 880 
			 Devon and Cornwall 28 46 25 33 15 
			 Greater Manchester 1,480 2,612 3,392 3,384 2,718 
			 Gwent - 64 129 157 102 
			 Humberside 282 316 712 850 599 
			 Lancashire 126 123 114 156 86 
			 Leicestershire 140 242 463 479 537 
			 Merseyside 1,483 1,213 2,114 2,223 2,265 
			 Metropolitan police 3,528 4,844 8,801 8,733 7,372 
			 North Wales 77 68 66 90 58 
			 Northamptonshire - 136 254 206 169 
			 Northumbria 142 333 553 548 537 
			 Nottinghamshire 566 1,374 2,342 1,720 1,188 
			 South Wales - 318 235 383 339 
			 South Yorkshire 833 1,455 2,182 1,954 1,499 
			 Staffordshire 102 92 89 94 39 
			 Thames Valley 528 518 919 1,152 973 
			 West Midlands 1,235 2,816 5,268 5,677 4,647 
			 West Yorkshire 747 1,298 3,272 3,637 2,959 
		
	
	Tables 4, 5 and 6 show the proportion of tests under DIP which were positive for heroin only, cocaine only, and heroin and cocaine combined, for each financial year since data were available.
	
		
			  Table 4: Heroin only 
			  Percentage 
			  Force  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 11 10 8 6 6 
			 Bedfordshire 16 12 7 4 7 
			 Cambridgeshire 20 14 13 10 11 
			 City of London - - 7 5 6 
			 Cleveland 23 21 16 13 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 32 23 22 13 17 
			 Greater Manchester 13 11 10 7 8 
			 Gwent - 11 17 13 18 
			 Humberside 17 20 15 11 13 
			 Lancashire 26 27 23 20 18 
			 Leicestershire 16 17 13 12 14 
			 Merseyside 11 9 6 6 7 
			 Metropolitan police 8 9 5 4 5 
			 North Wales 31 28 24 16 21 
			 Northamptonshire - 14 8 6 8 
			 Northumbria 21 18 14 12 10 
			 Nottinghamshire 18 14 11 9 8 
			 South Wales 100 21 24 18 19 
			 South Yorkshire 20 18 14 12 11 
			 Staffordshire 24 25 26 22 17 
			 Thames Valley 11 8 6 6 7 
			 West Midlands 14 17 10 7 8 
			 West Yorkshire 18 17 10 7 7 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Cocaine only (both powder cocaine and crack cocaine) 
			  Percentage 
			  Force  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 15 16 12 15 17 
			 Bedfordshire 14 18 14 17 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 6 5 10 10 
			 City of London - - 13 15 12 
			 Cleveland 10 11 11 14 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3 5 5 8 13 
			 Greater Manchester 11 11 12 16 13 
			 Gwent - 16 10 13 9 
			 Humberside 7 7 7 10 8 
			 Lancashire 5 6 5 7 10 
			 Leicestershire 10 6 8 9 10 
			 Merseyside 13 13 17 23 21 
			 Metropolitan police 20 17 16 19 18 
			 North Wales 4 6 7 9 9 
			 Northamptonshire - 13 12 14 13 
			 Northumbria 8 9 11 12 11 
			 Nottinghamshire 11t 9 9 13 12 
			 South Wales 0 8 7 11 10 
			 South Yorkshire 9 8 8 12 10 
			 Staffordshire 7 8 7 8 7 
			 Thames Valley 14 17 14 16 12 
			 West Midlands 11 9 10 14 13 
			 West Yorkshire 8 9 9 13 12 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Both heroin and cocaine (both powder cocaine and crack cocaine) 
			  Percentage 
			  Force  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 30 33 26 28 22 
			 Bedfordshire 24 23 21 21 14 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 11 8 11 12 
			 City of London - - 20 19 12 
			 Cleveland 15 19 16 16 11 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4 7 4 5 5 
			 Greater Manchester 15 16 14 14 11 
			 Gwent - 18 20 23 10 
			 Humberside 9 12 12 14 9 
			 Lancashire 14 12 11 14 8 
			 Leicestershire 11 11 10 11 9 
			 Merseyside 33 31 25 18 14 
			 Metropolitan police 21 23 16 16 14 
			 North Wales 11 13 13 11 8 
			 Northamptonshire - 14 10 8 6 
			 Northumbria 5 8 5 6 5 
			 Nottinghamshire 18 20 16 16 11 
			 South Wales 0 13 10 13 9 
			 South Yorkshire 20 18 18 16 12 
			 Staffordshire 14 18 12 12 11 
			 Thames Valley 26 24 19 18 13 
			 West Midlands 19 22 17 16 13 
			 West Yorkshire 17 18 15 15 11 
		
	
	The question asks for numbers testing positive for crack cocaine. It is not possible to provide data on positive tests for crack cocaine only because the drug test conducted as part of DIP does not distinguish between powder cocaine and crack cocaine.
	Between 2003 and 2005 the programme operated drug testing at the point of charge. From 2005 to the present time the programme has operated drug testing at the point of arrest, which has led to an increase in the number of individuals required to be tested.

Dual Nationality

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of British citizens who hold a passport of another country.

Alan Johnson: The Identity and Passport Service only holds data regarding British passport holders and the British passport application process in the UK. Therefore it is not possible to comment on all British citizens.
	However, applicants who have naturalised or registered to become British citizens are required to send in their registration or naturalisation certificates with their applications, including any foreign passports held. These are returned after identity has been confirmed and no statistical record is kept of their country of origin or previous nationality.

Gun Sports: Olympic Games 2012

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether legislation is required to enable shooting events to take place at the 2012 Olympic Games.

David Hanson: Pistol shooting events will take place using existing powers under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to authorise competitors and officials to possess competition pistols for the duration of the games. British visitors permits issued under section 17 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 will enable competitors to take part in the other shooting disciplines.

Homicide

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homicides by each method of killing there were in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: Available data from 1997-98 up to and including 2007-08 are shown in the tables placed in the House Library.

Identity Cards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from what date applications for identity cards from the general population will be received.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 20 October 2009
	As from 20 October 2009, the provisions in the Identity Cards Act 2006 were commenced so as to enable applications to be made for identity cards at a fee of £30. This has applied initially to people working in the Home Office, the Identity and Passport Service and elsewhere who are engaged on work relating to the issue of identity cards and later in 2009 will be extended to residents of Greater Manchester and to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.

Immigration: Young People

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers immigration officers have to detain a British citizen on the sole grounds of age.

Phil Woolas: Border force officers have no power to detain a British citizen, solely on the basis of age. British citizens are not subject to immigration control and so, do not require permission to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.
	In cases involving minors and young people, the UK Border Agency is committed to ensuring their safety and welfare. Border force officers examine all such arriving passengers and will only allow them entry to the UK once they are satisfied that suitable arrangements are in place for their care.

Independent Safeguarding Authority: Finance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has allocated to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to cover the operational costs of the ISA's first year; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The ISA commenced operations in March 2008. The ISA budget for 2008-09 was £8.201 million.
	Due to the phased implementation of the Vetting and Barring Scheme, the full registration requirements of the scheme will not come into force until July 2010, at which point the ISA will be fully operational.

National Identity Register

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications his Department has received for membership of the National Identity Service Expert Groups.

Alan Johnson: The Identity and Passport Service is setting up an experts group to provide independent views that will help to shape policy and the delivery of the National Identity Service through challenge and review, and to support the public panel. Individual applications were invited and learned and professional bodies have been asked to suggest candidates. The appointment process has not yet concluded.

National Identity Service Public Panels

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of  (a) establishing and  (b) running the National Identity Service public panels;
	(2)  how much was spent on  (a) job advertisements and  (b) publicity for the recruitment campaign to the National Identity Service public panels;
	(3)  how many applications for membership of the National Identity Service public panels have been received;
	(4)  what procedures will be used to select members of the National Identity Service public panels.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 20 October 2009
	We are introducing a public panel, made up of people from different regions, to ensure that the views of the public are properly reflected in the way the National Identity Service (NIS) is introduced, and to help us develop an identity rights charter.
	Members are unpaid volunteers, who may be reimbursed for reasonable out of pocket expenses.
	The public panel will meet in six groups across the UK. The first two groups for the north and south of England have just been set up, following a campaign seeking people to join the panel.
	For these two groups we received 113 applications. Applicants were asked their background: 12 categories were used such as employed, unemployed, in training, education, carer, and applicants were also asked about their knowledge or views of the NIS (making clear no view or knowledge was necessary for the role). The background categories were then used to randomly select members to proceed to an informal discussion with Identity and Passport Service (IPS) officials. Candidates for Chair had a short interview with an IPS official and an independent assessor.
	Information for applicants was approved by Plain English and is available in Braille, large print format, Easyread format, and audio. This information will be used for all six groups and cost £6,600. Advertisement costs in local and regional newspapers for the north and south groups cost £8,800.
	The estimated cost of information and publicity to set up all six regional groups is £60,000. Administrative support for the panel will be provided by IPS; the estimated cost of running the public panel in the current financial year is £16,000, which allows for reimbursement of expenses to panel members.

Official Residences

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 561W, on official residences, what the present proposed sale price of the former ministerial residence in South Eaton Place is; and whether there have been any changes to the proposed sale price since the property was first placed on the market.

Phil Woolas: The guide price for this property is currently £4 million and has not changed.

Official Residences

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 561W, on official residences, whether the advice of the selling agent on the preparation of a home condition report for the property in South Eaton Place was obtained in writing.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 160W. A copy of the disposal report for the property has previously been placed in the Library.

Opium

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sites are authorised to grow poppies for the production of opium in  (a) England and  (b) the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire; and what the total area of such sites is in each case.

Alan Campbell: Poppies are not grown in England for the production of opium but rather for the extraction of morphine. There are currently 38 sites growing poppies for such purposes in England with 19 in the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire. The total area under cultivation amounts to 4,422 acres with 2,021 acres being grown in the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire.

Police Custody: Health Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to police forces was of the attendance of doctors in police custody suites in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The Home Office do not hold the costs incurred by the 43 police forces within England and Wales or the British Transport police for the attendance of doctors within their custody suites. It is an operational matter for the chief officer of each force to ensure that they have an appropriate level of health care provision in place.

Police: Manpower

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) the East of England and  (d) England in (i) 1997, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009.

David Hanson: The available data are provided in the following table.
	Data are not collected centrally at constituency level, but have been collected at basic command unit level from April 2002.
	
		
			  Police officer strength, by basic command unit, as at 31 March( 1) 
			   1997( 2)  2006( 3)  2007  2008  2009 
			  BCU( 4)  
			 Bedfordshire County n/a 272 503 458 455 
			 Dunstable(3) n/a 255 (5)- (5)- (5)- 
			 Luton n/a 338 333 339 363 
			 Central Services n/a 359 368 410 426 
			 Total Bedfordshire 1,094 1,225 1,204 1,207 1,244 
			   
			 East of England 9,727 11,043 11,083 11,028 11,309 
			 England 118,459 133,925 134,265 134,355 136,403 
			 n/a = Not available (1) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number, due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. (2) Police strength by police basic command unit was collected centrally for the first time for the period beginning April 2002 and is therefore not available for 1997. (3) Boundary changes for basic command units came into effect in April 2006, and as a result BCU breakdowns in 2006 differ from those in later years. (4) Data at basic command unit level have been provided, since data are not collected centrally at constituency level. (5) Not applicable

Prisoners: Foreigners

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department holds on the number of prisoners from  (a) EU A10 accession countries and  (b) other EU member states held in Scottish prisons who have been recommended for deportation upon completion of their sentences.

Phil Woolas: Issues relating to Scottish prisons and prisoners held within them are devolved and a matter for the Scottish Executive. The UK Border Agency works with the Scottish Executive to ensure the removal of foreign national criminals who meet the deportation criteria. In the first two quarters of 2009, the UK Border Agency removed a total of 2,560 foreign national offenders from the United Kingdom. We do not publish information relating to the nationalities of those we deport.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers of vehicles registered outside the UK were caught breaking a speed limit on camera for which a penalty was not paid in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The data requested are not available.
	Information held by the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice on convictions, fines and penalty notices for motoring offences does not include information on the registration status of drivers.

Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost to his Department of  (a) implementing and  (b) managing its pre-entry screening programme for tuberculosis has been since the programme's inception;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average cost to each applicant of undertaking the pre-entry screening programme for tuberculosis;
	(3)  whether he plans to extend the pre-screening programme for tuberculosis to migrants from more countries;
	(4)  what evaluation of the effectiveness of his Department's pre-entry screening programme for tuberculosis has been undertaken.

Phil Woolas: The pre-entry TB screening pilot programme administered on behalf of the UK Border Agency by the International Organisation for Migration covers 15 countries, and complements the system of on-entry checks by port medical inspectors at major UK ports. The Home Office, with a contribution from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, met the start-up costs of $1,803,580 US. The scheme is now self-financing, applicants paying a fee of between $50 and $77 US (up to £50). The Department of Health and Health Protection Agency have undertaken preliminary assessments, and a final evaluation is now under way. Following this review decisions will be taken on the future of the programme.

Vetting

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to employers and employees in England and Wales seeking a basic disclosure check.

Alan Johnson: Guidance from the Criminal Records Bureau advises individuals seeking a basic disclosure check to contact Disclosure Scotland.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects ContactPoint to be fully operational.

Dawn Primarolo: ContactPoint is already operational. From late October, local authorities can start training ContactPoint users across England. The speed at which practitioner use of ContactPoint builds up over time will be agreed jointly with local authorities and national partners.
	Access to ContactPoint is strictly limited to those who need it as part of their work, and who have been security vetted and trained. Our latest evidence-based analysis suggests that the number of users will be 390,000. The ultimate number of users will be determined by local authorities and national partners. Those decisions will be governed by regulations and guidance and, ultimately, by capacity and resources.

Children: Poverty

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the number of children in rural areas living in poverty in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply
	:
	Estimates of the number of children in rural areas living in poverty are derived from the Family Resources Survey produced by the Department for Work and Pensions. The survey is available on the Department's website at
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/2007_08/frs_2007_08_report.pdf
	A copy is also in the Library.
	Data on rurality are only available on the Family Resources Survey since 2004/05, so no information is available prior to 2004/05.
	The information that is available is given in the tables.
	Due to different definitions of rurality in Scotland compared to England and Wales, and the fact that no information is collected on the Family Resources Survey covering rurality in Northern Ireland, it has not been possible to present figures for the United Kingdom as a whole. This also means that the figures in table 4 are not comparable with figures presented in the other tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of children in rural areas in England in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, 2004/05 to 2007/08, before and after housing costs 
			  Million 
			  Period  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 2004/05 0.3 0.4 
			 2005/06 0.3 0.4 
			 2006/07 0.3 0.4 
			 2007/08 0.3 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of children in rural areas in Wales in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, 2004/05 to 2006/07 and 2005/06 to 2007/08, before and after housing costs 
			  Million 
			  Period  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 2004/05 to 2006/07 - 0.1 
			 2005/06 to 2007/08 0.1 0.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of children in rural areas in England and Wales in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, 2004/05 to 2007/08, before and after housing costs 
			  Million 
			  Period  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 2004/05 0.3 0.4 
			 2005/06 0.3 0.5 
			 2006/07 0.4 0.5 
			 2007/08 0.3 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of children in rural areas in Scotland in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, 2004/05 to 2006/07 and 2005/06 to 2007/08, before and after housing costs 
			  Million 
			  Period  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 2004/05 to 2006/07 - - 
			 2005/06 to 2007/08 - - 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. For Wales and Scotland, three years of data have had to be combined due to small sample size. 4. A '-' in the table indicates that the number of children in low income households is less than 50,000 in the period. 5. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 6. For the Households Below Average Income series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) equivalisation factors. 7. Number of children in low income households have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.

Departmental Publications

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost of production of his Department's publication Schools of the Future: Inspirational Design for Kitchen and Dining Spaces was; and how much was spent on  (a) research,  (b) preparation and  (c) distribution of the publication.

Vernon Coaker: The cost of producing Inspirational Design for Kitchen and Dining Spaces was around £108,000, broken down as follows:
	Research, writing and graphics-£91,000
	Preparation (printing, editing and professional photography)-£15,000
	Distribution (including to every local authority)-approx £2,000
	The publication, which was well received by the School Food Trust, has proved extremely valuable to local authorities, schools and designers particularly those involved in Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programme.

Education: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the intake of sixth form pupils to schools in Tamworth constituency was in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many year 7 pupils entered secondary school in Tamworth in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is shown in the table.
	Data on pupils by national curriculum year group have been collected at pupil level since 2002. Comparable data are not available for earlier years.
	
		
			  Number of pupils( 1)  in national curriculum years 7 and 12 in state funded secondary schools( 2) , 2002 to 2009, Tamworth parliamentary constituency 
			   National curriculum year group 
			   7  12 
			 2002 1,110 350 
			 2003 1,160 380 
			 2004 1,080 390 
			 2005 1,000 410 
			 2006 990 380 
			 2007 950 380 
			 2008 890 410 
			 2009 980 400 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Includes CTCs and academies.  Note: Pupil numbers rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census.

GCE A-Level

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of A- levels in  (a) chemistry,  (b) physics,  (c) mathematics and  (d) modern languages were awarded to pupils at (i) grammar schools, (ii) comprehensive schools, (iii) sixth form colleges and (iv) independent schools in the 2008-09 academic year.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 October 2009
	 The information required is given as follows and relates to passes at grades A-E:
	
		
			  Contribution of total GCE A-level passes by institution type in 2008/09 
			  Percentage 
			   Comprehensive  Selective  Modern  Other maintained  All maintained  Independent  Sixth Form Colleges  Other FE Colleges  AII FE colleges  All schools and colleges (number) 
			 Chemistry 39.4 14.6 0.6 0.3 54.8 21.8 17.1 6.2 23.4 36,278 
			 Physics 41.5 14.0 0.5 0.2 56.3 23.0 14.5 6.2 20.8 24,844 
			 Mathematics 40.3 13.1 0.7 0.3 54.3 21.7 17.0 7.0 24.0 63,439 
			 French 37.4 12.8 0.6 0.3 51.2 29.8 14.1 4.9 18.9 12,152 
			 German 39.2 13.7 0.7 0.1 53.7 27.4 14.3 4.7 19.0 5,086 
			 Spanish 30.2 12.0 0.4 0.4 42.9 34.0 16.8 6.3 23.1 6,056 
			 Other Modern Languages 28.0 3.8 0.7 1.2 33.6 48.9 9.8 7.7 17.4 5,973 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2008).  2. 'Other modern languages' include 'Arabic', 'Bengali', 'Chinese', 'Dutch', 'Gujarati', 'Italian', 'Japanese', 'Panjabi', 'Persian', 'Polish', 'Portuguese', 'Russian', 'Turkish' and 'Urdu'.  Source:  Achievement and Attainment Tables data (provisional).

GCSE

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils who had participated in gifted and talented programmes and who sat GCSEs in 2009 achieved  (a) five or more GCSEs at grades A* - C,  (b) five or more GCSEs at grades A* - C including English and mathematics,  (c) five or more GCSEs at grades A* - C including English, mathematics and a modern foreign language and  (d) eight or more GCSEs at grades A* - A.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 October 2009
	Information on GCSE attainment by pupil characteristics for the 2008-09 academic year is not yet available. The first results from this data will be published in December 2009.

GCSE

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils achieved eight or more GCSEs at grade A*-A  (a) nationally,  (b) in selective local education authorities,  (c) in comprehensive education authorities and  (d) in partially selective local education authorities in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 October 2009
	 The figures requested are in the table:
	
		
			  Local authority admission policy  Percentage of pupils( 1)  achieving eight or more GCSEs at grade A* or A, 2009( 2) 
			 Selective(3 )local authorities 11.4 
			 Comprehensive local authorities 5.7 
			 Partially selective(4 )local authorities 8.4 
			 National (maintained schools) 6.7 
			 (1) Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools. (2) Data for 2009 are provisional and subject to change after school checking. (3) Selective local authorities include Buckinghamshire, Kent, Medway, Slough, Southend, Torbay and Trafford. (4) Partially selective local authorities include Barnet, Bexley, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bromley, Calderdale, City of Plymouth, Cumbria, Devon, Enfield, Essex, Gloucestershire, Kingston upon Thames, Kirklees, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, North Yorkshire, Poole, Reading, Redbridge, Stoke on Trent, Sutton, Telford and the Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Wirral and Wolverhampton.

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals did not sit GCSE examinations in five or more subjects in 2008.

Vernon Coaker: Of those pupils eligible to receive free school meals in maintained schools in England, 8,704 pupils were not entered for GCSE examinations in five or more subjects in 2008.
	The figure includes all GCSE and equivalent qualifications.
	This figure has been derived from the National Pupil Database. Data on pupils' eligibility for free school meals are collected in the Pupil-Level Annual School Census which only takes place in maintained schools.

GCSE: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children at schools in Enfield North constituency obtained nine or more GCSEs at grades A* to C or equivalent including English and mathematics in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Primary Education: Finance

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) Bedfordshire have participated in the Primary Capital Programme in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: Funding for the national roll out of the Primary Capital Programme commenced in April 2009. It follows that very few of the projects to be funded wholly or partly through the programme will have actually started on site at this stage.
	I am pleased to confirm, however, that the strategic plan submitted through the former Bedfordshire Council's Primary Strategy for Change has resulted in additional funding of £9.3 million being approved to support local delivery over the two year period 2009-11 duly confirmed.
	Decisions about the prioritisation of individual projects are rightly matters for local determination. The programme aims to support local authorities in renewing around half of all primary schools by 2023. More detailed information about the work planned can be obtained from the local authority.

Pupil Exclusions

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children had been permanently excluded from  (a) schools and  (b) Catholic schools on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of pupils at  (a) schools and  (b) Catholic schools were permanently excluded in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: Data on the number and percentage of pupil enrolments permanently excluded from school in 2007/08 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1) , number and percentage of pupil enrolments( 2)  permanently excluded by denomination of school( 3) , England 2007/08 (estimates)( 4) 
			   Number of pupil enrolments permanently excluded( 2)  Percentage of pupils permanently excluded( 5) 
			 Catholic schools(3) 630 0.09 
			 Other schools(3) 7,500 0.11 
			 Total for all schools 8,130 0.11 
			 (1) Includes middle schools, city technology colleges, academies, and maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (2) Pupils may be counted more than once if they are permanently excluded from more than one school during the year. (3) Denomination of school as Roman Catholic or otherwise as it appears in Edubase. Multi-denominational schools have been categorised as other. (4) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (5) The number of pupil enrolments permanently excluded as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January 2008, in each denomination category. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census and Edubase.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained schools in which over  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 15 and  (d) 20 per cent. of pupils were persistent absentees had less than 30 per cent. of pupils gain five GCSEs including English and mathematics at grades A* to C in each year since 2005.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of persistent absence( 1)  in school 
			Percentage 
			5  10  15  20 
			 2007  Maintained( 2)  schools 2,587 893 329 183 
			  with fewer than 29.5 per cent. achieving five or more GCSEs at A*-C, or the equivalent, including English and maths 1,194 696 313 181 
			   
			 2008  Maintained( 2)  schools 2,305 634 263 143 
			  with fewer than 29.5 per cent. achieving five or more GCSEs at A*-C, or the equivalent, including English and maths 1,011 519 254 142 
			 (1) Persistent absence is defined as missing more than 63 sessions. (2) Including city technology colleges, academies and maintained special schools-all schools in the table have at least one pupil at the end of Key Stage 4.  Notes: 1. Special schools are included in the figures. 2. Data matching persistent absence to school attainment are only available from 2007.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average absence rate from school for infant school pupils was in the last year for which figures were available.

Vernon Coaker: The absence rate for primary school pupils aged five or six is shown in the table. Infant pupils attend a variety of school types. For consistency, data have been provided for all infant pupils regardless of the category of school they attend.
	Absence data are collected for pupils aged five to 15 at the start of the academic year, excluding boarders.
	
		
			  Primary schools( 1) , absence rate( 2)  for infant pupils( 3, 4) , 2007/08, England 
			   Average absence rate( 2) 
			 Infant pupils(3) 5.74 
			 Primary school pupils(4) 5.26 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed. (2 )Number of sessions due to overall absence as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (3 )Pupils attending primary schools, aged five or six as at 31 August 2007, who will become six or seven during the academic year; excluding boarders. (4 )Pupils attending primary schools, aged five to 15 as at 31 August 2007, excluding boarders.  Source:  School Census

Pupils: Ethnic Groups

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils at  (a) schools and  (b) Catholic schools are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary( 1) , state-funded secondary( 1, 2 ) and special( 3)  schools: ethnicity( 4)  of Roman Catholic( 5)  schools compared to all schools, as at January 2009, England 
			   All schools  Roman Catholic schools 
			   Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6) 
			  White 5,304,890 80.6 510,540 80.0 
			 White British 5,030,880 76.4 459,920 72.1 
			 Irish 22,860 0.3 12,040 1.9 
			 Traveller of Irish Heritage 3,940 0.1 940 0.1 
			 Gypsy/Roma 9,590 0.1 480 0.1 
			 Any other White background 237,620 3.6 37,170 5.8 
			  
			  Mixed 242,850 3.7 29,750 4.7 
			 White and Black Caribbean 79,530 1.2 8,680 1.4 
			 White and Black African 25,830 0.4 3,640 0.6 
			 White and Asian 50,790 0.8 5,770 0.9 
			 Any other Mixed background 86,700 1.3 11,660 1.8 
			  
			  Asian 557,130 8.5 29,210 4.6 
			 Indian 162,460 2.5 11,130 1.7 
			 Pakistani 223,400 3.4 6,630 1.0 
			 Bangladeshi 91,410 1.4 1,480 0.2 
			 Any other Asian background 79,860 1.2 9,970 1.6 
			  
			  Black 301,950 4.6 50,390 7.9 
			 Caribbean 91,650 1.4 12,200 1.9 
			 African 176,000 2.7 32,360 5.1 
			 Any other Black background 34,300 0.5 5,830 0.9 
			  
			 Chinese 24,680 0.4 1,950 0.3 
			  
			 Any other ethnic group 82,670 1.3 9,990 1.6 
			  
			 Classified(4) 6,514,160 98.9 631,830 99.1 
			  
			 Unclassified(7) 70,020 1.1 6,050 0.9 
			  
			 Minority Ethnic Pupils(8) 1,483,290 22.5 171,910 27.0 
			  
			 All pupils(9) 6,584,180 100.0 637,880 100.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes CTCs and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils of compulsory school age and above were classified according to ethnic group. Excludes dually registered pupils. (5) Denomination of school as Roman Catholic as it appears in Edubase. (6) The number of pupils by ethnic group expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above. (7) Information refused or not obtained. (8) Includes all pupils classified as belonging to an ethnic group other than White British. (9) All pupils of compulsory school age and above.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census and Edubase.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) revenue and  (b) capital funding per pupil in each local education authority area was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The per pupil revenue funding figures, and the total capital figures, for England and each local authority in 2008-09 are set out in the following table. Revenue figures are in cash terms. Capital figures represent amounts allocated in the year:
	
		
			   2008-09  Revenue  2008-09  Capital 
			  LA name  Per pupil (£)  Total (£000) 
			  England 4,690 5,224,722 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5,270 211,311 
			 Barnet 5,200 26,296 
			 Barnsley 4,480 9,889 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 4,430 7,744 
			 Bedfordshire 4,410 31,316 
			 Bexley 4,730 10,638 
			 Birmingham 5,240 64,548 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 5,040 93,612 
			 Blackpool 4,620 6,615 
			 Bolton 4,600 14,311 
			 Bournemouth 4,300 6,587 
			 Bracknell Forest 4,500 6,244 
			 Bradford 4,870 34,838 
			 Brent 5,700 16,114 
			 Brighton and Hove 4,660 8,745 
			 Bristol, City of 5,050 153,697 
			 Bromley 4,590 13,370 
			 Buckinghamshire 4,510 19,873 
			 Bury 4,430 8,476 
			 Calderdale 4,570 12,058 
			 Cambridgeshire 4,280 116,568 
			 Camden 6,910 9,354 
			 Cheshire 4,430 32,581 
			 City of London - 145 
			 Cornwall 4,340 33,239 
			 Coventry 4,790 220,483 
			 Croydon 4,910 15,469 
			 Cumbria 4,430 30,462 
			 Darlington 4,550 11,860 
			 Derby 4,660 12,847 
			 Derbyshire 4,450 36,368 
			 Devon 4,280 38,900 
			 Doncaster 4,630 14,819 
			 Dorset 4,350 19,790 
			 Dudley 4,510 13,613 
			 Durham 4,730 26,778 
			 Ealing 5,620 21,724 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4,270 15,680 
			 East Sussex 4,560 21,222 
			 Enfield 5,100 16,699 
			 Essex 4,450 109,435 
			 Gateshead 4,740 8,453 
			 Gloucestershire 4,370 36,103 
			 Greenwich 6,260 200,496 
			 Hackney 7,250 15,353 
			 Halton 4,960 6,183 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6,490 6,318 
			 Hampshire 4,320 65,878 
			 Haringey 5,940 13,966 
			 Harrow 5,170 11,210 
			 Hartlepool 4,830 4,904 
			 Havering 4,670 10,351 
			 Herefordshire 4,320 8,843 
			 Hertfordshire 4,500 202,625 
			 Hillingdon 4,990 14,449 
			 Hounslow 5,380 16,949 
			 Isle of Wight 4,660 6,592 
			 Isles of Scilly - 239 
			 Islington 6,660 9,271 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6,530 4,229 
			 Kent 4,520 332,296 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 4,870 10,536 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4,850 7,671 
			 Kirklees 4,650 21,919 
			 Knowsley 5,080 14,473 
			 Lambeth 6,780 14,069 
			 Lancashire 4,520 62,357 
			 Leeds 4,620 32,602 
			 Leicester 4,860 14,846 
			 Leicestershire 4,150 35,527 
			 Lewisham 6,330 23,757 
			 Lincolnshire 4,410 36,122 
			 Liverpool 5,140 20,751 
			 Luton 4,960 13,999 
			 Manchester 5,440 287,467 
			 Medway 4,600 14,402 
			 Merton 5,010 10,463 
			 Middlesbrough 4,960 7,250 
			 Milton Keynes 4,710 28,661 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,840 11,612 
			 Newham 5,970 24,673 
			 Norfolk 4,410 42,337 
			 North East Lincolnshire 4,850 8,100 
			 North Lincolnshire 4,420 6,882 
			 North Somerset 4,310 8,318 
			 North Tyneside 4,520 15,301 
			 North Yorkshire 4,440 34,250 
			 Northamptonshire 4,360 39,431 
			 Northumberland 4,400 17,818 
			 Nottingham 5,330 94,860 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,390 35,490 
			 Oldham 4,820 130,703 
			 Oxfordshire 4,410 30,597 
			 Peterborough 4,790 9,929 
			 Plymouth 4,540 23,664 
			 Poole 4,250 5,580 
			 Portsmouth 4,650 7,631 
			 Reading 4,870 8,565 
			 Redbridge 4,820 15,905 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 4,750 6,432 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4,750 6,873 
			 Rochdale 4,900 133,591 
			 Rotherham 4,730 19,043 
			 Rutland 4,400 1,870 
			 Salford 5,050 10,539 
			 Sandwell 4,890 14,129 
			 Sefton 4,590 13,460 
			 Sheffield 4,650 262,065 
			 Shropshire 4,240 14,051 
			 Slough 5,130 7,255 
			 Solihull 4,270 16,795 
			 Somerset 4,350 41,610 
			 South Gloucestershire 4,150 15,798 
			 South Tyneside 4,910 8,127 
			 Southampton 4,750 8,735 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4,620 11,710 
			 Southwark 6,650 12,732 
			 St. Helens 4,640 8,061 
			 Staffordshire 4,290 38,585 
			 Stockport 4,410 13,085 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 4,620 10,311 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 4,800 9,295 
			 Suffolk 4,320 37,371 
			 Sunderland 4,680 13,213 
			 Surrey 4,450 55,919 
			 Sutton 4,810 8,788 
			 Swindon 4,310 17,789 
			 Tameside 4,560 71,313 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4,510 233,576 
			 Thurrock 4,700 5,878 
			 Torbay 4,460 13,942 
			 Tower Hamlets 7,350 16,385 
			 Trafford 4,400 10,880 
			 Wakefield 4,550 14,960 
			 Walsall 4,700 19,531 
			 Waltham Forest 5,330 19,374 
			 Wandsworth 5,980 12,763 
			 Warrington 4,320 9,205 
			 Warwickshire 4,320 26,221 
			 West Berkshire 4,570 8,734 
			 West Sussex 4,370 34,129 
			 Westminster 6,260 6,164 
			 Wigan 4,510 21,023 
			 Wiltshire 4,250 26,285 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 4,630 7,603 
			 Wirral 4,630 14,566 
			 Wokingham 4,360 8,845 
			 Wolverhampton 4,940 12,900 
			 Worcestershire 4,300 28,893 
			 York 4,360 6,776 
			  Notes: Revenue Figures: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price Base: Cash 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged 3-19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10. 5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. Capital Figures 1. These figures are provided on an allocations basis. They include devolved, targeted and strategic programmes, funded by grant, supported borrowing and PFI. 2. Where figures for some authorities appear particularly large, this will normally reflect a Building Schools for the Future allocation where expenditure will take place over a number of succeeding years.

Schools: Asbestos

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been found to contain hazardous asbestos in the last 12 months; in how many of those schools all asbestos has been removed; at what cost; and what assessment has been made of the health of  (a) teachers and  (b) pupils attending schools where asbestos has been found.

Vernon Coaker: During any major refurbishment project, the Department expects those responsible to remove hazardous asbestos and asbestos likely to be disturbed. Outside major projects, periodic asbestos surveys identify Asbestos Containing Materials that are likely to deteriorate and we expect them to be removed or encapsulated.
	There is no requirement for routine reports of the condition of asbestos containing materials; for each public building there is an individual with specific statutory duties related to asbestos but routine reporting is not one of those duties. So, data are not available on the number of schools found to contain hazardous asbestos in the last 12 months.
	Earlier this year, the Prime Minister gave a commitment to find out more about local authority management of asbestos.
	In September 2008 DCSF and HSE sought to determine, by questionnaire, how asbestos is being managed in system-built schools.
	Initial evaluation of the responses is complete. It has highlighted the need for further investigation and follow-up action. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officials will discuss with the Department in November how to take this forward.

Schools: Buildings

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will review the adequacy of the provisions of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, with particular reference to statutory provision for  (a) water and  (b) toilets.

Vernon Coaker: The officials and colleagues from Partnerships for Schools are arranging to meet the Paediatric Continence Forum to discuss the adequacy of water and toilet provision in schools. This will include considering statutory methods that might be appropriate.
	This issue has already been addressed in the Building Schools for the Future programme with the 2007 publication of Toilets in Schools, a DCSF guidance note to encourage the use of standard layouts and designs to make toilets more attractive, cleaner and safer for pupils to use.

Schools: Cricket

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of state schools are linked to a cricket club;
	(2)  what percentage of state schools include organised games of cricket in the sports curriculum.

Iain Wright: The 2008/09 School Sport Survey, published on 14 October, shows that 58 per cent. of schools are linked to a local cricket club and 89 per cent. of schools include cricket as part of the curriculum.
	A copy of the 2008/09 School Sport Survey will be placed in the Libraries.

Schools: Heating

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools use heat generated by  (a) solar panels and  (b) ground source heat pumps.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not hold information on the numbers of schools that use heat generated by  (a) solar panels and  (b) ground source heat pumps. Investment in measures of this nature would typically be funded from budgets delegated to schools and local authorities. This information may be held at a local authority.
	The Department receives information on planned installations of renewable energy systems for new school projects that are being delivered within Building Schools for the Future and the Academies programme. We have received details for 71 new school projects since January 2008. Of these, 39 are planning to install systems that generate heat from solar panels, and eight plan to install ground source heat pumps for heat generation.

Schools: Standards

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) schools and  (b) Catholic schools Ofsted judged to be outstanding or good in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 20 October 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	The latest figures published by Ofsted about the inspection outcomes of maintained schools refer to inspections carried out in the autumn and spring terms of 2008/09. During that period, 19% of all schools inspected were judged to be outstanding and 50% were judged to be good in terms of their overall effectiveness. During the same period, 23% of Roman Catholic schools inspected were judged to be outstanding and 56% were judged to be good. Table A summarises the outcomes for all schools inspected during this period by phase of education, and Table B summarises the outcomes for Roman Catholic schools.
	Figures covering all inspections which took place during the full academic year 2008/09 will be published in November 2009 alongside the Annual Report.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: overall effectiveness in schools inspected in the autumn and spring terms of academic year 2008/09 
			Overall effectiveness: percentage of schools inspected 
			  Phase of education  Number of inspections  Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate 
			 Nursery 87 59 40 1 0 
			 Primary 3,562 16 52 29 3 
			 Secondary 762 23 41 29 7 
			 Special 230 40 45 12 3 
			 Pupil referral unit 125 19 53 22 6 
			 Total - 19 50 28 4 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Figures include one special school which was inspected twice during this period and found to be inadequate on both occasions. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  B : overall effectiveness in  Roman Catholic  schools inspected in the autumn and spring terms of academic year 2008/09 
			Overall effectiveness: percentage of schools inspected 
			  Phase of education  Number of inspections  Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate 
			 Primary 389 21 58 20 2 
			 Secondary 85 31 48 16 5 
			 Special 1 100 0 0 0 
			 Total - 23 56 19 2 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Roman Catholic schools excludes those of mixed denomination.

Teachers

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers in  (a) secondary and  (b) primary schools had advanced skills teacher status on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is published in table 5 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures) January 2009 (Revised)' published on 29 September 2009. The table is available at the following web link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsqatewav/DB/SFR/s000874/Tables1to18_Vals.xls

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers took a  (a) Bachelor of Education or Bachelor of Arts degree and  (b) a Post-graduate Certificate of Education with a language specialism in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of new entrants to initial teacher training (ITT) courses specialising in modern foreign languages, years 2006/07 to 2008/09: coverage England 
			   2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			  Primary
			 Undergraduate 110 120 50 
			 Postgraduate 600 590 510 
			 
			  Secondary
			 Undergraduate 10 20 30 
			 Postgraduate 1,490 1,330 1,290 
			 
			  Primary and secondary
			 Undergraduate 120 140 80 
			 Postgraduate 2,090 1,930 1,800 
			  Notes: 1. Recruitment figures for 2008/09 were provisional and are subject to change. They include 100 forecast trainees who are expected to enter ITT during the academic year. 2. Includes Universities and other Higher Education Institutions, SCITT and Open University but excludes employment based routes. 3. Figures for secondary include Key Stage 2/3. 4. Figures include trainees who are re-sitting all or part of their ITT programme. 5. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals as shown may not equal the sum of component parts.  Source: TDA's ITT Trainee Numbers Census 
		
	
	The downward trend in entrants to ITT courses specialising in Modern Foreign Languages reflects the target number of places set for recruitment and the low level of teacher vacancies in the subject.

Travelling People: Schools

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether local authority performance targets on Traveller pupils are part of his Department's national indicator set.

Vernon Coaker: Currently local authorities have to set performance targets for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils at key stages 2 and 4 where there is a cohort of 30 or more pupils. Recent changes to the target setting regulations mean that from 2010, performance targets will need to be set where there is a cohort of three or more Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.

Vocational Guidance: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been provided to each local authority to provide careers services in accordance with sections 68 and 69 of the Education and Skills Act 2008.

Iain Wright: The Education and Skills Act 2008 transfers to local authorities the statutory responsibility for the delivery of Connexions services, including assessments for young people with learning difficulties. Sections 68 and 69 of the Act require local authorities to provide services, as directed by the Secretary of State, to encourage, enable or assist the effective participation of young people in education or training.
	Responsibility and funding for Connexions services, including information, advice and guidance and careers services, transferred to local authorities on 1 April 2008. The funding is paid via the area based grant arrangements and is not ring fenced. We do not collect information on what precisely the Connexions funding is spent on.
	Connexions grant funding is allocated using a national funding formula which is based on the 13-19 population, educational attainment, NEET figures and deprivation indicators. The funding formula is intended to share out the national Connexions budget between the 152 local authorities in a way that is fair, objective and transparent, so that they can deliver a high quality service to all young people. It is intended that the formula should broadly reflect the needs of an area and that it is then for local authorities to decide how best to use their funding to deliver Connexions services locally.
	We only have information on the funding provided for the provision of Connexions services as a whole which includes the provision of careers services. Some local authorities, reflecting the needs of their area, may commission additional services from a number of other agencies. The amount of funding allocated to each local authority for the provision of Connexions services since 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Connexions grant allocations 2008 to 2011 
			  Local a uthority  2008 - 09  200 - 10  2010 - 11 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,135,835 2,240,946 2,307,413 
			 Barnet 2,859,769 2,714,745 2,620,723 
			 Barnsley 2,205,107 2,313,628 2,543,299 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1,403,928 1,370,345 1,363,043 
			 Bedfordshire(1) 3,505,688 - - 
			 Bedford Borough - 1,465,059 1,462,201 
			 Central Bedfordshire - 1,965,163 1,976,288 
			 Bexley 2,258,109 2,224,658 2,241,851 
			 Birmingham 11,598,496 11,054,022 11,041,218 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1,897,017 1,944,424 1,942,646 
			 Blackpool 1,847,217 1,837,938 1,827,692 
			 Bolton 2,951,714 3,096,977 3,126,891 
			 Bournemouth 1,322,610 1,387,700 1,417,809 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,248,546 1,185,230 1,065,998 
			 Bradford 4,999,312 5,231,922 5,261,420 
			 Brent 2,601,070 2,483,963 2,469,858 
			 Brighton and Hove 2,180,983 2,189,813 2,167,918 
			 Bristol 3,576,383 3,484,002 3,447,371 
			 Bromley 2,499,349 2,403,908 2,408,810 
			 Buckinghamshire 3,784,634 3,592,708 3,455,960 
			 Bury 1,656,126 1,737,629 1,887,805 
			 Calderdale 2,073,434 2,046,741 2,057,580 
			 Cambridgeshire 4,536,860 4,306,787 4,066,514 
			 Camden 1,925,970 2,020,753 2,079,846 
			 Cheshire(1) 5,350,028 - - 
			 Cheshire East - 2,490,744 2,504,255 
			 Cheshire West and Chester - 2,738,198 2,739,897 
			 City of London 217,476 228,178 250,829 
			 Cornwall 3,965,389 4,123,537 4,120,511 
			 Coventry 3,342,950 3,173,422 3,158,928 
			 Croydon 3,205,064 3,209,614 3,211,589 
			 Cumbria 4,442,949 4,217,638 4,093,511 
			 Darlington 995,950 1,044,964 1,148,696 
			 Derby (City) 2,364,299 2,453,271 2,458,612 
			 Derbyshire 6,058,264 5,906,203 5,955,901 
			 Devon 5,387,090 5,220,313 5,227,787 
			 Doncaster 3,134,965 3,289,247 3,347,957 
			 Dorset 2,822,958 2,961,884 3,020,302 
			 Dudley 3,031,490 3,029,173 3,023,431 
			 Durham 4,956,762 4,999,034 5,003,606 
			 Ealing 2,514,411 2,573,209 2,588,967 
			 East Riding of Yorks 2,395,442 2,513,329 2,539,149 
			 East Sussex 3,996,083 4,127,521 4,133,868 
			 Enfield 3,048,524 2,942,302 2,946,685 
			 Essex 10,837,768 10,731,707 10,788,610 
			 Gateshead 1,910,170 2,004,175 2,118,030 
			 Gloucestershire 4,846,892 4,601,097 4,288,908 
			 Greenwich 2,868,202 3,009,355 3,168,221 
			 Hackney 2,609,071 2,737,472 2,888,913 
			 Halton 1,603,374 1,682,281 1,718,540 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,475,346 1,547,953 1,592,527 
			 Hampshire 9,515,254 9,399,152 9,393,133 
			 Haringey 2,476,065 2,593,898 2,588,100 
			 Harrow 1,879,255 1,874,784 1,846,840 
			 Hartlepool 1,113,733 1,168,543 1,284,543 
			 Havering 2,255,523 2,141,141 2,087,035 
			 Herefordshire 1,548,216 1,469,703 1,394,246 
			 Hertfordshire 8,576,130 8,141,218 8,184,407 
			 Hillingdon 2,863,097 2,717,904 2,588,297 
			 Hounslow 2,295,067 2,289,625 2,275,528 
			 Hull 3,220,085 3,376,466 3,363,553 
			 Isle of Wight 1,304,907 1,332,546 1,332,634 
			 Isles of Scilly 25,000 25,000 25,000 
			 Islington 2,092,847 2,195,843 2,413,822 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,793,254 1,702,315 1,531,065 
			 Kent 11,537,262 11,796,670 11,836,047 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 1,187,361 1,146,488 1,127,058 
			 Kirklees 3,752,250 3,936,910 3,960,221 
			 Knowsley 1,996,839 2,095,110 2,303,089 
			 Lambeth 2,439,164 2,527,658 2,540,147 
			 Lancashire 9,332,495 9,692,878 9,695,711 
			 Leeds 6,985,015 6,630,791 6,529,176 
			 Leicester (City) 4,361,000 4,139,845 3,723,384 
			 Leicestershire 4,231,167 4,439,395 4,471,790 
			 Lewisham 2,859,414 2,786,385 2,787,305 
			 Lincolnshire 5,542,404 5,261,338 5,264,350 
			 Liverpool 5,619,996 5,366,083 5,333,680 
			 Luton 2,034,424 2,134,545 2,153,194 
			 Manchester 5,480,855 5,202,910 5,121,423 
			 Medway 2,333,652 2,448,498 2,550,283 
			 Merton 1,628,829 1,546,228 1,473,135 
			 Middlesbrough 1,883,863 1,976,574 2,133,493 
			 Milton Keynes 2,326,563 2,240,110 2,246,998 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 3,041,855 3,000,199 2,973,710 
			 Newham 3,395,303 3,471,609 3,472,979 
			 Norfolk 6,969,810 6,616,357 6,389,342 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1,845,876 1,936,718 2,070,292 
			 North Lincolnshire 1,558,786 1,635,499 1,721,465 
			 North Somerset 1,466,477 1,538,647 1,558,615 
			 North Tyneside 1,881,708 1,974,312 1,986,382 
			 North Yorkshire 4,474,612 4,247,696 4,216,686 
			 Northamptonshire 6,173,383 5,860,319 5,648,861 
			 Northumberland 3,190,975 3,029,154 2,813,002 
			 Nottingham (City) 3,319,723 3,162,497 3,128,087 
			 Nottinghamshire 6,639,216 6,302,528 6,257,359 
			 Oldham 2,486,158 2,608,510 2,685,121 
			 Oxfordshire 4,913,800 4,669,339 4,657,858 
			 Peterborough 1,788,971 1,877,012 1,962,997 
			 Plymouth 2,353,042 2,468,127 2,449,832 
			 Poole 1,183,921 1,189,791 1,173,789 
			 Portsmouth 1,845,179 1,928,417 1,920,840 
			 Reading 1,216,312 1,276,171 1,321,260 
			 Redbridge 2,181,020 2,167,227 2,172,357 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,712,832 1,797,126 1,825,497 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 1,323,865 1,256,730 1,163,227 
			 Rochdale 2,264,862 2,376,323 2,506,746 
			 Rotherham 2,749,965 2,885,300 3,101,497 
			 Rutland 269,331 282,585 310,637 
			 Salford 2,504,047 2,581,857 2,576,179 
			 Sandwell 3,396,071 3,558,512 3,577,380 
			 Sefton 2,883,000 2,804,102 2,797,167 
			 Sheffield 4,801,931 4,955,465 4,957,247 
			 Shropshire 2,328,714 2,216,296 2,202,159 
			 Slough 1,206,360 1,265,729 1,285,588 
			 Solihull 2,127,535 2,089,791 2,093,279 
			 Somerset 4,302,492 4,084,304 3,960,444 
			 South Gloucestershire 2,127,551 2,019,659 2,011,391 
			 South Tyneside 1,820,008 1,873,976 1,875,510 
			 Southampton 2,010,141 2,109,067 2,185,394 
			 Southend on Sea 1,500,644 1,574,496 1,636,062 
			 Southwark 3,179,484 3,161,844 3,178,853 
			 St Helens 2,079,205 2,090,147 2,089,913 
			 Staffordshire 6,737,879 6,744,172 6,737,109 
			 Stockport 2,390,783 2,508,441 2,520,061 
			 Stockton on Tees 1,932,205 2,027,295 2,065,879 
			 Stoke on Trent 2,761,049 2,896,929 3,080,460 
			 Suffolk 5,776,012 5,508,235 5,531,601 
			 Sunderland 3,340,512 3,333,282 3,336,564 
			 Surrey 8,628,887 8,191,299 7,367,269 
			 Sutton 1,602,425 1,654,444 1,660,234 
			 Swindon 1,844,348 1,846,214 1,847,666 
			 Tameside 2,375,322 2,492,219 2,499,106 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1,773,089 1,798,599 1,803,889 
			 Thurrock 1,453,580 1,525,116 1,657,326 
			 Torbay 1,148,857 1,205,396 1,300,057 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,716,974 2,850,684 3,133,669 
			 Trafford 1,819,698 1,886,908 1,892,281 
			 Wakefield 3,277,829 3,386,663 3,399,169 
			 Walsall 2,919,640 3,061,227 3,068,488 
			 Waltham Forest 2,434,491 2,457,014 2,459,481 
			 Wandsworth 2,166,382 2,168,526 2,153,211 
			 Warrington 1,720,152 1,754,915 1,767,568 
			 Warwickshire 4,220,230 4,105,983 4,098,631 
			 West Berkshire 1,214,237 1,273,993 1,390,903 
			 West Sussex 5,704,250 5,445,474 5,477,332 
			 Westminster 2,238,826 2,125,291 1,911,490 
			 Wigan 3,120,097 3,273,647 3,298,656 
			 Wiltshire 3,423,148 3,342,973 3,371,102 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,193,378 1,166,154 1,159,487 
			 Wirral 3,689,000 3,501,924 3,299,236 
			 Wokingham 1,236,931 1,174,204 1,136,637 
			 Wolverhampton 2,619,554 2,748,470 2,890,404 
			 Worcestershire 4,406,206 4,263,443 4,268,515 
			 York 1,391,800 1,418,001 1,396,446 
			 Total England 468,732,000 466,732,000 466,732,000 
			 (1) From 1 April 2009 four new local authorities were created: Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford borough and Central Bedfordshire and Cheshire LA split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester.

Young People: Drugs

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's measures to tackle drug taking by young people.

Dawn Primarolo: Reducing the number of young people misusing drugs or alcohol is one of the Government's national priorities and progress is measured through National Indicator 115 and through delivery of the commitments set out in the National Drug Strategy (2008).
	Drug use among young people (11-15) has fallen significantly from 20 per cent. in 2001 to 15 per cent. in 2008. Drug use among 16 to 25-year-olds has also decreased significantly from 29.7 per cent. in 1996 to 22.6 per cent. in 2008/09. At the same time as these falls, there are a record number of treatment places available for those young people (under 18) who need them.

Youth of Today Programme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which organisations were involved in the consultation for his Department's Youth of Today programme for; how long the consultation programme was open; how much the consultation cost; if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of all meetings where the consultation was discussed; when the programme will be reviewed; by whom; and at what projected cost.

Vernon Coaker: A feasibility study for a possible National Institute for Youth Leadership commenced in December 2007 and was completed in April 2008. A list of organisations that participated is at Annex A. A roundtable for stakeholders, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes), took place in July 2008 with the following organisations: British Youth Council; the Citizenship Foundation Changemakers; Commission for Youth Social Enterprise; Council on Social Action; the Duke of Edinburgh Awards; National Youth Agency; the Prince's Trust; UK Youth Parliament; V; Young Advisors and the Young Foundation. The cost of the consultation process was £24,728.
	A copy of the minutes of feasibility discussions and the ministerial roundtable will be placed in the Library.
	The programme will be externally evaluated over the remainder of the contract period till March 2011. The Department will shortly be signing a contract with the approved evaluators with a projected cost of £115,000.
	 Annex A
	Children
	Brookfield School
	British Youth Council
	Centre for Excellence in Leadership
	Changemakers
	Children of Addictive Parents
	Citizenship Foundation
	Clubs for Young People
	Commission for Youth Social Entrepreneurship
	Contented Ltd.
	ContinYou
	CRAC
	Crime Concern
	CSV
	Department for Children, Schools and Families
	Department for Communities and Local Government
	Development Education Association
	The Diana Award
	Government Office North East
	Groundwork
	Growth Matters
	The Grubb Institute
	Innovation Exchange
	London and Quadrant Neighbourhood Investment Teams
	London Youth
	National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
	The National Trust
	National Youth Agency
	National Youth Theatre
	Oxfam
	Participation Works
	People and Planet
	The Prince's Trust
	Raleigh International
	RSPB
	Schools Councils UK
	Skills Force Development and Training
	UK Youth
	UK Youth Parliament
	University of Bristol
	Volunteering England
	The Wildlife Trust
	Young Achievers Trust
	Young Advisors
	Young Enterprise
	YouthBank UK
	YouthNet